


Desire Lines

by Nemi_Almasy



Series: Nihlus Lives [2]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Nihlus Lives, OT3, Open Relationships, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Shrykarian, Smut, ex Saren/Nihlus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-02-08 22:24:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 44,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12874302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemi_Almasy/pseuds/Nemi_Almasy
Summary: It was supposed to be a one-night stand. No names exchanged, just a chance for Jane Shepard to experiment with a turian who wasn't her life partner. Hell, Nihlus had even encouraged it. But after the shitstorm on Eden Prime, the handsome stranger with the bright blue eyes was thrust back into her life, this time with a name: Garrus Vakarian. Forced to team up to find proof of Saren Arterius' guilt, they wind up stuck together in a galactic journey to understand the mysterious Prothean tech uncovered on Eden Prime. Run-ins with quarian refugees, asari scholars, mercenaries with a personal vendetta against Saren, and Alliance marines ensue. And all the while, Shepard and Nihlus find themselves drawn inexplicably closer to Garrus, and he to them.Alternative timeline/canon divergent ME1. Follow-up/companion piece to Diplomatic Relations, though you don't necessarily need to have read one to enjoy the other.





	1. Drawn Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stated in the description, this is a sort-of-sequel to Diplomatic Relations. I've very much written it so that hopefully you don't need to read DR if you don't want to, but I do think it enhances the experience to get a little look at Shep and Nihlus' relationship before this story.
> 
> CW: This chapter contains explicit sexual content

The atmosphere inside the nightclubs in the Citadel wards could only be described as seedy. Although much of the wards themselves also fit that description, the clubs were a veritable den of debauchery, covered in a thin layer of sweat and alcohol.

Commander-turned-Spectre Jane Shepard didn’t particularly enjoy the clubs, but there was really no better place to pick up a guaranteed one-night stand. She had tried to get her partner, Nihlus, to come along, but he knew her too well and had read her interests quickly enough.

She’d never been with a turian besides Nihlus and the desire to find out what a different turian would be like had been gnawing at her for some time now. She had suggested a threesome, he had suggested she find out what it was like on her own and get back to him. 

The idea of such a casual approach to sex outside of her commitment to Nihlus had once seemed strange and foreign, but now it was just second nature: as long as they discussed it with each other beforehand, there was never any jealousy involved. At the end of the day, they always came back to one another, and he was the only person her heart belonged to.

So she had come to the club in Kithoi ward alone, leaving Nihlus to whatever his own desires would lead him to. She  _ had _ friends she could have met there, a handful of old Alliance buddies on shore leave, some other Spectres and diplomats she had met during the last four years of service with Nihlus, but she preferred to go alone. She was there for one reason and one reason only, and like a tiger hunting its prey, she needed no assistance or distraction.

Shepard couldn’t much comment on what  _ turians _ in general preferred, but she knew what Nihlus liked, so she’d worn one of his favorite outfits: a simple, silky green dress, which Nihlus often told her complemented her eyes. The dress was not exactly in line with the standard club-going attire, but it was hardly a ball gown, and in a sea of drunk, sweaty people, it didn’t make her stand out by any means.

She took up a spot in the corner of the busy nightclub, nursing a drink while she watched people move from the bar to the dance floor and back again. It was amazing how quickly interspecies quarrels and barriers were dropped with a bit of alcohol and loud music. The dance floor was awash with people of every species, grinding against each other, touching every inch of skin they could find.  Watching their writhing caused a warmth to creep up Shepard’s neck. 

There were plenty of turians in the club, though some of them were definitely taken and not worth the chase, and a good chunk didn’t suit her fancy, for whatever reason. It wasn’t as though she’d been attracted to Nihlus when they first met: it had taken months upon months of his ceaseless flirting and battle-earned trust before she started to think about him like that; it had been years still after the first time they’d had sex that she’d started to appreciate turian attributes as a whole, separate from her interest in Nihlus.

She wasn’t sure of the exact  _ moment _ that she realized she was attracted to other turians, but Nihlus had at least taken notice that the attraction existed. She hadn’t thought about it in a while, but when they’d passed through the C-sec exchange earlier that day and she’d seen a lithe young officer with blue colony markings running past, her eyes couldn’t help but stray.

This thought was in her mind when she scanned the bar, roving past two turians leaning against the far wall. She had to do a double-take when she saw them because there, still decked out in his C-sec armor, was the young officer who’d set her mind to considering a night with another turian at all.

What were the chances?

Maybe it was fate.

She  _ hated _ the idea of fate, but it  _ was _ interesting that he was there. She took a moment to really look at him before she made any decisions about what she would do next.

He was tall, taller than Nihlus by several inches, if she had to guess, with slightly broader shoulders. He was also younger than Nihlus, by at least ten years, she was almost certain, which meant he was younger than she was too. He had that look of youth about him, and he held himself slightly awkwardly considering that Shepard’s eyes weren’t the only ones watching him from around the club. Like most turians, the officer’s facial plates were a smooth stone-grey: a sharp contrast to the rich red of Nihlus’ plates.

She knew she shouldn’t compare him to Nihlus, but he was the only turian she’d ever been with, and there would be no helping it, especially if the night progressed the way she hoped it would. He was different than her mate, certainly, but she only appreciated the differences as something new to explore.

If the officer was even interested. Turians didn’t exactly fall over themselves for humans.

There was another, older officer next to him, also in uniform, chin and mandibles striped with silver colony markings, facial plates a creamy tan color. It was this officer that was staring a hole through Shepard; a good enough reason to approach them, even if she was interested in the younger turian.

Finishing the rest of her drink, she set the empty glass on a nearby table, swallowed her nerves, and approached the two turians with as much confidence as she could muster. Picking up strangers in bars had never been difficult for her, even after the grenade that had left the right side of her neck mangled by scars, but she had never tried to pick up a turian before and Nihlus had done all the wooing in their relationship.

Shepard kept her eyes locked on the young turian with the blue colony markings painted beneath his eyes and across his nose. He wasn’t even aware of her, though his friend was still watching her with a look of unmistakable interest. Her stomach was doing somersaults the closer she got to them; she hadn’t felt so excited and nervous about a sexual prospect since…well, since her first time with Nihlus.

“Hey,” she said once she had reached their spot against the wall.

Smooth, Shepard, very smooth.

Both turians looked at her then. The younger one had the most stunning blue eyes she had ever seen: cool, but with something fierce behind them. His eyes moved immediately to the scars on the right side of her neck, but whatever he thought about them, his expression didn’t betray it. More slowly, his gaze lingered to the other side of her neck where two pale, upraised lines scarred the skin there: a mark from Nihlus.  _ Those _ scars earned a reaction: an almost imperceptible widening of the eyes.

“You must be pretty strong to walk away from whatever did that,” the other turian spoke, his words slightly slurred. Shepard had a hard time tearing her gaze away from the younger officer.

“You should see what I can do to a fully grown turian.”

Silver’s mandibles twitched and his eyes flicked across her body.

“What’s your name?” He asked. She noticed that he stood on far less steady legs than his friend.

“No names. This isn’t the kind of place for that. Call me whatever you want. I’ll call you Silver,” she nodded at his colony markings before turning to the younger officer and brushing her hand against his cheek, “and I’ll call you Blue.”

Almost as soon as she’d done it, she felt stupid, momentarily acting with a confidence that was not her own. She didn’t have to worry about it too long, because Blue’s mandibles twitched the same way Nihlus’ did when she did something that he liked. He watched her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion, but said nothing.

Silver hiccupped and his mandibles quivered as he did so. “What should we call her then, G-… _ Blue _ ?”

Blue’s eyes scanned her face, darting occasionally,  _ very quickly _ to the bond mark on her neck and then back to her face.

“Maybe we should call her Freckles,” he suggested.

His voice was deeper than she expected, and so  _ smooth _ , like silk against her ears. 

She laughed despite herself. She might not have liked the idea of fate, but it was pretty damn funny that this complete stranger would think to give her the same nickname her lover used almost exclusively.

“Something wrong with that name?” Blue asked.

“No.” She shook her head, grinning. “It’s fine.”

“Freckles?” Silver cocked his head. “That’s what they call these things?” He jabbed a finger against her cheek in what he must have thought was a far gentler approach than it was. She grabbed his wrist calmly, but firmly, and returned his hand to his side.

“Yes.” A step closer to Blue.

“Chellick is a little drunk.” He offered unnecessarily.

“I didn’t need to know his name.”

“Right, sorry.”

Shepard shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter. I wasn’t interested in him anyway.”

Chellick, Silver, whatever-his-name-was, wavered on the spot. “I’m standing right here.”

“Yeah? What are you going to do with me, stud? You’re so drunk you can barely stand up straight. You think you’re going to have a productive evening with that blood alcohol level? I’ve seen a drunk turian on more than one occasion; he usually can’t even get himself out of his sheath when he’s had as much as you have.”

He blinked languidly at her. “Excuse me?”

“Go home. You’re just going to disappoint whoever you end up bringing home. Unless you want to give that tongue a try.” She yanked gently on the edge of his mandible.

He looked back and forth between Shepard and Blue. “Fucking typical. Doesn’t even matter what species…” He muttered. “Everybody loves big blue-eyes over here. I’m getting another drink.”

“Chellick, are you sure you-“ Blue started.

“Go on. You won’t even know what to do with her. He won’t even know what to do with you! Her clitoris isn’t inside of her, you should at least know that!” Silver yelled this last part, and several people nearby turned to stare at them. Shepard’s face flushed, and she was thankful for the club’s dim lighting.

Blue’s mandibles flared in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, he, um…he’s not usually…”

“You don’t have to apologize for your friend being drunk.” She moved a little closer to him, as close as she dared without touching. “What brings you two out tonight?” She looked him up and down. “In full uniform?”

“We had a distress call in this area, turned out to be a domestic squabble. By the time we sorted it out we were off duty, so we decided to come grab some drinks,” he explained. “Chellick…er…what did you call him again?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, he likes to come here to meet women. It was a long day though; I think he drank too much because of it.” He shrugged, his eyes straying to her bond mark again. “Do you…um…come here often?”

It was somewhat endearing how uncertain he was of her: curiosity mingling with discomfort. Between his behavior and his friend’s parting statement, it was obvious he’d never been with human, possibly never even considered it. Shepard wasn’t sure if that excited her or made her nervous; maybe both. At any rate, she nearly laughed at his cliché pickup line.

“I try to avoid it.” She admitted. “I’ve been to Purgatory up on the Presidium, it’s a little nicer than this, but wards clubs are more suited to my interests this evening.”

“And what’s that?”

She pressed herself against him then, and traced a finger across his mandible, the same way she did to Nihlus when she was teasing him. She couldn’t exactly pretend she knew whether the things Nihlus liked were universal amongst turians or just unique to him, so the evening was going to be a lot of guesswork.

Blue’s mandibles twitched beneath her touch and his eyes followed her fingers with a sideways glance. She saw the muscles and skin of his throat move as he swallowed hard. 

“I’ve, uh…well, Chellick leaves the clubs with humans sometimes, but I’ve…” He wrung his hands. “Well I’ve never…I mean  _ I’ve _ …of course I’ve…but…not with a human…”

“Are you a little nervous, Blue?” She asked, keeping herself pressed against his chest. Turians were  _ so damn warm _ . “If you’re not comfortable, I can go somewhere else…find someone else…” She hoped to God he didn’t tell her to leave. It had to be more than just good luck that she’d run into him here and if he told her off, she would likely give up the chase and return to Nihlus, resigned to never knowing what another turian was like.

To her relief, he shook his head. “No…no, it’s not…don’t go.” He grabbed her waist with one hand. 

Something Shepard had always liked about Nihlus, and had begun to appreciate about turians in general, was the sheer size of them next to a human, especially their hands. His hand covered her side, his talons trimmed: a common practice for turians who lived amongst mixed-species company.

“I  _ am _ nervous,” Blue admitted. “You, uh…” He flicked his mandibles. “I’m sorry, but your mark…I just…I’ve never seen a human with one.”

“You want to know about him?” She would have gladly spent an entire evening talking about Nihlus, certainly had before when she was with her friends, but she didn’t particularly want to discuss him with her potential sexual conquest; she was worried thinking too long about him would kill the courage her drink had given her.

“Not extensively.” He shook his head. “I just want to know if I’m going to get cornered in some alley tomorrow and have the shit kicked out of me for touching you.”

She laughed loudly at this. The thought of Nihlus exhibiting anything close to jealousy, and in such an aggressive way, was ludicrous. He was probably out having dinner with an old acquaintance somewhere with the same intentions she had. Their relationship had been  _ relaxed _ in that sense for quite some time.

“No. He knows what I’m doing. I thought turians were a little more relaxed about these things.”

“Some are.” He shrugged. “Some  _ aren’t _ . I’ve never even been with someone with a bond mark, but you hear stories.” He surprised her when his fingers brushed against the mangled skin on the right side of her neck. She barely registered the touch; she’d lost much of the sensation when she’d sustained the wounds that had left the scars behind.

“You’re a soldier?”

“In a manner of speaking.” She nodded..

“What do you do?”

She shook her head. “Confidential. Just like my name. No reason for us to get to know each other that well. I’m guessing there’s somewhere quieter you could take me.”

His eyes moved up and down her body, as if he was considering her one last time before he committed to a decision, but she could see his interest: a spark of something akin to hunger. He nodded and his hand slid to the small of her back.

“We’ll get a shuttle.”

She let him lead her through the crowded club, out into the busy streets of the ward, where he hailed a shuttle with his omni-tool. Then they waited. Her heart was pounding entirely too fast, her mind focused on his warm hand pressed firmly against her back.

“You’re very turian,” he told her.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, when I see human women hit on Chellick…they’re usually coyer about it. It’s like an annoying game; they’re obviously interested, but they play hot and cold so they don’t come on too strong. That might work for human men and…I suppose it works for Chellick, but turians don’t beat around the bush like that.”

Four years with Nihlus had rubbed off on her far more than she’d realized.

“Well…I spend most of my time with a turian.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ve picked up his habits.”

“It’s attractive.” Blue stared down at her and the look in his eyes made her face grow warm. 

“So, you’ve never been with a human, huh?” 

“No, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself inexperienced.”

“Hm, I hope you can put your money where your mouth is, Blue.” She grinned at him.

He leaned over her until his mouth was against her ear, which sent a shiver running down her spine. “And where would you like me to put my mouth?”

The sound of his voice, with such a deep timbre, coupled with his close proximity and the implication behind his words, started a fire in her belly that spread down between her legs. The shuttle pulled up to the curb before she could formulate any sort of meaningful reply, and he opened the door and let her climb in the back before stepping in after her.

The interior of the shuttle was cool and quiet, though it didn’t help the warmth creeping through Shepard’s body. Blue entered a destination into his omni-tool and the shuttle took off toward the rapid transit highway.

As soon as the shuttle was airborne, Blue shifted in the seat so that he was facing her, drawing up one hand to gently tuck a few wispy strands of red hair behind her ear. Her skin jumped against his touch.

“Ever even considered sleeping with a human before, Blue?” She tried to control the nervous quavering in her voice.

His eyes were scanning her face, not meeting her gaze. “I’ve seen the spreads in Fornax. You’re pretty similar to asari beneath your clothes. Hairier though.” His thumb traced along her cheek. “I’ve never pursued a human. None of them have been…quite so…turian.” He let his hand drift down to her neck to her bond mark.

She let out a long, slow breath. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He replaced his hand with his nose, brushing it against her neck and inhaling against her skin. She knew she smelled like Nihlus; he left a coat of his scent on her with his fingertips every now and then: another way turians marked their mates. She wondered whether the smell would be off-putting to this other turian or not.

The scent didn’t seem to bother Blue, and whatever he thought of it, he didn’t say. He dragged his tongue against her collarbone and up her neck, nipping lightly at the underside of her jaw and repeating the action on the other, scarred, side of her neck. Her cheeks flushed and her heartbeat throbbed between her legs. One of his massive hands gripped her thigh, just at the hem of her dress, and began pushing it slowly, purposefully, up her leg while her hands reached for his neck, feeling the foreign, yet familiar, contours of the plating running down it.

She shifted her fingers up to touch the soft skin directly beneath his fringe and was pleased with the reaction it elicited from him; his subvocals vibrated as he moaned against her skin.

The evidence that he’d never been with a human came from his reluctance or failure to consider actually meeting her lips with his mouth. He trailed his tongue across her collarbones, nipped at her flesh, flicked his mandibles against her, but never tried for a kiss. Nihlus had been with plenty of humans before he ever slept with Shepard, so she’d never stopped to consider that turians didn’t normally kiss each other. Still, she had seen vids of two turians with their tongues entangled; she supposed the vids might not be the most accurate portrayal of turian relationships.

It was while she was considering this that his mouth finally made it to her face, his nose brushing across her cheek. He didn’t attempt a kiss, per se, but he did open his mouth to hers, waiting only long enough for her to reciprocate before his tongue snaked inside and pressed against hers. When she instinctively brought her lips against his flexible mouth plates, she felt him falter for a moment, mandibles twitching with surprise. Then she laughed.

He pulled away from her and sat back. “What’s funny?”

“You’ve never been kissed.”

“I’ve seen humans do it. Turians don’t kiss that way.”

“My turian does.” She shrugged.

“Well maybe with humans or asari…” He shook his head. “It’s new to me. We usually just use our tongues.”

She touched the side of his face and brought her lips back against his. He flexed his mouth in an approximation of a kiss, and, after a few more attempts, seemed to get the hang of it, even seemed to enjoy it, if his vibrating subharmonics were any indication. Once he was comfortable with this newfound kissing, their tongues tangled back together quickly.

His hand inched further up her thigh, shoving the fabric of her dress with it, reaching tantalizingly close to the line of her underwear, then the shuttle came to a halt and, reluctantly, he let go of her. Shepard did a poor job of concealing her frustration, letting out an annoyed sigh and taking a moment to straighten out her dress before she followed him out of the vehicle. She had to remind herself that the night wasn’t over; it had barely begun.

“So, it’s just up a few floors.” Blue said, grabbing her hand and leading her inside the towering apartment building they’d stopped in front of. 

Somehow, the shuttle had taken them up to the Presidium without Shepard even noticing. She supposed she  _ had _ been somewhat preoccupied during the ride.

They stepped into a brightly lit lobby, crossed to the elevator, and waited while it rose up ten stories to Blue’s floor. While they waited, he curved his arm around her back and gripped her waist. Nihlus was big, big enough that she always felt comparably small next to him despite standing nearly six feet tall, but Blue was something else entirely. She was certain the massive hand resting just above her hip could have circled her neck by itself; he was definitely bigger than Nihlus, and she found herself wondering if he was  _ proportionate. _ Nihlus was the biggest she’d ever had and he had pushed her to her limit the first few times… _ that _ thought made her nervous.

Out of the elevator and down a long hall, they finally reached the door to his apartment. He tapped in a pin and pressed his fingers against the interface and the door slid open, revealing the tidy, modest apartment within.

Inside, Shepard leaned against the wall and Blue stood in front of her, eyeing her up and down with that same hungry look she’d caught a glimpse of back at the club. He closed the space between them, his armor cold against her burning skin, and hooked one finger under the strap of her dress, sliding it down her shoulder at a deliberately slow pace. Her breath came heavy as his talon ever-so-lightly pressed into her skin. When he dropped the strap, she slid her arm free from it and waited for him to do the same on the opposite side.

Both arms free from the straps, she lifted them up and shimmied until the silk dress fell away from her body, crumpling in a heap at her feet and leaving her standing in front of him in nothing but her lacy red bra and matching underwear. He stared at her for several seconds, drinking in the sight of her, and she started to grow agitated with how much clothing he was still wearing.

“Take off that armor,” she demanded.

He complied immediately, reaching for familiar hooks and unlatching the heavy blue armor from his chest, then his arms, his legs, and lastly, his pelvis. His under armor clung tightly to his body, revealing all of his sharp angles. His hip spurs jutted out slightly farther than Nihlus’, as did his leg spurs; his shoulders were broader, but his keel bone less prominent. She hated how, every inch of him, she couldn’t stop comparing him to what she knew so intimately. Realistically, she may as well have been comparing a human and a turian, but having never known a turian besides Nihlus, it was where her mind returned at every familiarity.

Without her asking, he removed his under armor as well, then stood before her completely naked, the plates at his pelvis partially opened.

Nihlus’ large fingers always had a difficult time with her bra, and she didn’t want this stranger to rip such an expensive article of clothing, so she reached behind her back and unhooked it, letting it fall from her shoulders, baring her breasts to him.

For a moment, they each stared at the other: Blue’s eyes were preoccupied with her breasts, which he had likely never experienced outside of a strip club; Shepard’s eyes were scanning every inch of him, comparing each curve, each plate, each scale, to her mate.

Blue closed the gap again, bringing his mouth to hers and trailing his rough kisses down her neck, licking across her collarbones and down her chest until he reached her breasts. He held her hips while his mouth explored the contours of her chest, nipping experimentally at her nipple and then repeating the action when she arched her back and let out an involuntary moan. He bit a little harder at the edge of her breast, then replaced his teeth with a gentle caress from his tongue.

She was burning up now, her heartbeat pulsing between her legs, desperate to know what he looked like beneath his plates, desperate to feel him inside of her: someone new and different. Her fingers brushed along the gaps in his chest plating, then down to his pelvic plates, sliding gently between them and brushing along the sheath she knew was hidden just below the plates. His hips bucked and the slow circle of his tongue around her nipple came to a halt.

“ _ Spirits _ ,” he gasped. When she brushed her fingers against the sheath once more, a strangled sound left the back of his throat and the plates slid fully open as his erection freed itself from his sheath.

She looked down to take in the sight of him: bigger than Nihlus, yes, and so very…

“ _ Blue _ .” She almost laughed.

His breath was hot against her neck. “You sound surprised.” 

“No, I knew it would be.” She grazed her teeth against his mandible and he growled in response: a heady sound that almost made her do it again. “I’m just…used to something a little more…purple.”

“You’ve never had another turian.” It wasn’t a question.

“Hopefully not for long.”

His hand slid beneath the fabric of her underwear, inching down until his fingers were between her legs, slowly sliding her lips apart. Her breath hitched and her eyelids fluttered. 

“Spirits, are all humans this wet?” A single digit toyed with entering her, sliding back and forth past her entrance.

Shepard was having a hard time focusing on anything but his hand between her legs. “Different than turians in that respect. Our men don’t make their own lubricant.”

He kissed her neck and brushed his nose against her cheek. “Show me where to touch you.”

Her hand joined his, guiding his fingers to the tender bundle of nerves above her opening. She moved his hands to circle around it, brushing once against it, a small gasp escaping her throat as it did.

“Feel it?”

“Yes.”

She let go of his hand and let his fingers take care of the rest of the work. One of her hands reached up to clutch his shoulder and the other slid down between his legs, encircling his cock, though he was too wide at the base for her fingers to touch. She slid her hand up the length of him and his legs shook, his fingers stuttering against her.

“Your hands are…so soft.” He could barely get the words out.

“Fuck, you’re big.” It was all she could think as she looked at him; bigger than Nihlus, certainly. The thought excited her, but she was also a little nervous.

He pulled her underwear the rest of the way down her legs, dropping down to his knees and hooking one of her legs over his shoulder. He stared up at her and for a moment all they could do was hold each other’s gaze, then his head was between her legs without further notice or fanfare, one hand coming up to part her lips as he slid his tongue along her slit.

A gasp escaped her throat entirely of its own accord and she stumbled back against the wall. One of his hands gripped the thigh that was draped over his shoulder while the other reached for her ass, talons dimpling into the flesh there. All the while, his tongue circled her clit, occasionally, lightly, brushing over it; the sensation made her hips jerk.

“ _ Blue _ …” She moaned, dragging her fingers along the grooves of his fringe. His subvocals purred and his mandibles flicked against the inside of her thighs.

His mouth pressed firmly against her, teeth grazing the very top of her pelvis while his tongue moved harder and faster against her. Each flick of his warm, wet tongue against her clit nearly made her knees buckle, the warmth between her legs radiating up through her chest, sweat trickling down her neck. Words left her mouth, but she had no earthly clue what she was saying: nonsensical babbling, drunk as she was on the pleasure he was giving her. Occasionally, she managed his name, loud and husky from the depths of her throat: Blue, Blue,  _ Blue _ .

A burst of pleasure exploded simultaneously behind her eyes and between her legs, pulsating through her body as her muscles contracted rhythmically. Several loud moans escaped her lips, and her fingers slid along his fringe to grip it tightly as her toes curled against his back. The moans tapered off into whimpers, then gasping breaths, then one long, satisfied sigh.

He lowered her leg and sat back on his calves, looking up at her, cock throbbing between his legs.

“Fuck.” She traced her hand against his mandible. “I think it’s time we took this into the bedroom.”

His mandibles flicked into a grin and he stood up, grabbing her hand and leading her into his bedroom. His room was as tidy as the front of the apartment had been, bed made with tight military-style tucks at the corners.

They stood at the edge of the bed and she grabbed the base of his cock, pumping her hand up and down it a few times and enjoying the way his mandibles fluttered as she did so. He gripped her hips and licked up her neck.

“What position would you prefer?”

He was too big for her to feel comfortable letting him take the reins: he’d never been with a human and there were a hundred different ways she could think of that he might hurt her without even trying. 

“I’ll drive.” She let go of him. “You go sit down.”

Obediently, he moved to the top of the bed and sat with his back against the wall, watching her as she followed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his lap and holding herself over his waiting erection; he held the base of it and slowly, she lowered herself until just the very tip was pressing into her. He let out a low groan as she experimentally slid a little further down.

“ _ Spirits _ …” His eyelids fluttered shut. “Freckles…oh….”

She settled a little further down, the muscles in her abdomen tightening at the effort of holding herself up like that. The deeper he sank into her, the further it stretched her.  _ Definitely _ bigger than Nihlus.

“You’re…oh you’re too tight!” His eyes snapped open. “It doesn’t hurt?” A look of genuine concern played across his face. The grimace her face was set into probably didn’t assuage any of his concern, but it didn’t hurt – maybe a little – it was just an adjustment, which was why she was taking it slow.

“I’m used to turians,” she laughed, finally settling down fully on top of him. She closed her eyes and held his shoulder; she needed a minute to adjust.

“If it’s…if it’s too much…”

She shook her head. “No. You feel good.” She clenched her muscles against him deliberately and his subharmonics vibrated, carrying through his whole body. He gripped her ass and closed his eyes again.

After a few seconds of adjusting to the size of him, she began to move, grinding back and forth against his lap, sliding up and then stuttering back down until he was buried to the hilt. Deep, soft, little moans left his throat every time she moved, his hands rising and falling with her bottom.

“You’re… _ fuck _ …you’re really something, Blue.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and nipped at his mandible. “God… _ fuck! _ ”

She was no longer comparing him to Nihlus. He felt entirely new, completely different, absolutely incredible. Her clit rubbed against his pelvis as she slid back and forth, up and down, against him. He lifted his chin and she tried something that always drove Nihlus wild: kissing up the length of leathery skin and biting down hard on the scales that dotted it. To her immense pleasure, he reacted with a snarl, gripping her ass tighter and bucking his hips against her.

“You like that, did you?” She nibbled the edge of his mandible closest to his jaw.

“Do it again,” he begged.

She complied and his growl was followed by a moan, a harder thrust of his hips: he was taking control and now that she was used to his size, she didn’t mind so much.

His talons dug into her until she was sure they would pierce the skin, filed though they were; one hand dragged down her back, talons scraping a path through her skin, while they other pressed harder and harder into her ass. Their hips rolled to meet each other’s frantic thrusting, the pace of their movements almost punishing.

She could feel a second orgasm coming. Burying her face against his shoulder, she dragged her nails down the plates on the back of his neck, his subvocals rumbling in response. She let him take over completely, pumping frantically into her as a wave of pleasure washed over her for the second time that evening. She gasped and moaned and whimpered, clawed at every inch of him while her muscles tightened around him. It was clear he wouldn’t last much longer, his movements slowing and becoming less coordinated. He gasped and groaned, clutching her tighter. A loud moan left his throat and with a few final, desperate thrusts he came inside of her and the two of them fell still.

For several seconds, the only sound was their heavy breathing as they both caught their breath. He licked the sweat from her shoulder, his mandibles flicking lightly against her skin.

“I’m really glad Chellick wanted to go out for drinks.” 

“God, me too. Thank him for me, would you?” She flicked a finger against his mandible and lifted herself to move off of him, but found it physically impossible.

_ Shit. _

When she shifted her hips, she found that, unless she wanted to seriously injure one or both of them, there was no getting off of him at the moment. He was, more or less,  _ stuck _ inside of her. As soon as he realized what was happening, his mandibles flared with embarrassment.

“Oh…I…oh no…I’m, uh…”

She settled back down and leaned against his chest. “Nothing to be done about it,” she shrugged.

“I’ve uh…” He swallowed hard. “Well I’ve never um…I’ve never uh…”

“Relax. Ni-…my, uh, partner…it happens to him sometimes. You can’t help it: hormones and all that. It’s just inconvenient. Don’t tell me this is your first time?”

He sighed. “It happened once or twice with people I was dating, but…er…never with a stranger.”

“First time for everything.” 

After four years with Nihlus, and nearly three sleeping with him, she had dealt with the unique aspect of turian biology that was knotting plenty of times. Nihlus could never predict when it was going to happen, most turians couldn’t, it was just the right combination of hormones, maybe a little bit of emotion as well. Then it was a lot of sitting and waiting, some aftershocks for him, a  _ big mess _ when it was all over. At least she was in a comfortable position with Blue. The worst time with Nihlus had been against a shower wall; he’d had to carry her through the ship to the bed and, very carefully, lower them both on the bed before his legs gave out from holding her up for that long.

“Well, we could be stuck here for a while.” She sat back to provide some space between them, at least between their faces. “Longest I ever dealt with was nearly an hour.”

“An  _ hour _ ?” Blue’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, not super pleasant.”

“Look, I’m really sorry…I've really have never had this problem with a stranger. I…”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t even think about it. I just wish your cock had evolved enough sense to know there’s no fucking way it’s getting me pregnant.”

His eyelids fluttered and he groaned as his cock twitched inside of her. One of what she hoped would not be many aftershocks.

“Well…until this happened…I was having a nice evening.”

“Me too,” she laughed. “I came out tonight looking for a turian. I have to admit, I saw you down at the C-sec exchange earlier today. You were running after the executor and N-…my partner noticed me watching you. It was his idea for me to try this with another turian.”

“Thank him for me, would you?” He echoed her words. “So you’re stalking me, is that it?”

She grinned. “No, just good fortune. I did a double take when I saw you in the club. Figured I had to go for it.”

“I’m glad you… _ uhn _ …” His mandibles twitched with another aftershock. “I’m glad you did. Despite  _ this. _ ” A short silence followed before he spoke again. “So, since we might be stuck together for a while, will you tell me your name?”

“Nope.”

“I’ll tell you mine,” he offered.

“I don’t want to know it. I want to walk away from this night with a good memory, maybe minus the knotting, and never see you again. It’s nothing personal.”

“It’s fine.” But he was clearly put out.

“So what were you chasing the executor for?”

“Oh, you want to know about me, but I can’t know about you?” He flicked his mandibles in irritation.

“Yes, exactly.”

He rolled his eyes, but didn’t withhold the information. “I’ve been working this case on the side in addition to my patrols. There’s this Spectre that’s done some…questionable things in the line of duty and C-sec launched an investigation even though the Council wasn’t that keen on it. My dad’s the one who pressed this issue actually, but they only assigned me to the case, not a whole team like they might normally. I don’t think the executor is exactly invested.”

Shepard tensed up. “A Spectre?”

“Yeah. He’s got a reputation for his behavior and a lot of rumors swirling around the Citadel about him. He… _ Spirits _ … _ uhn _ …I hate this.”

“Seems like you’re kind of enjoying it,” she said, though she still wanted to hear more about the Spectre he was investigating. She knew several Spectres, being one herself, and those she hadn’t met personally she had heard plenty about.

“Well…it feels good, but…it’s not exactly convenient.”

“So who’s the Spectre then?” She prodded.

Before he could answer, the suction holding him inside of her released and both of them sighed with relief. She slid off of him, already feeling the cum trickling out of her and down her legs. With some effort, she swung her legs around and stood up, holding them tightly together.

“Bathroom?”

He pointed to a door across the room and she shuffled across awkwardly, trying to contain the mess he’d left behind. It took her a minute to clean herself up, then she stepped back into the room and stood in front of him. She wanted to ask him about the Spectre again, but now that they had separated, it was time for her to leave.

“Well…thanks for a good time, Blue.”

“Yeah…sorry again.”

“I won’t be seeing you.”

“You never know,” he laughed. “What were the chances you’d run into me twice today?”

“Astronomically low. I’m not counting on it happening a third time.” She wandered into the front of the apartment and began pulling her clothes on. “Have fun with your little assignment. Thanks for a fucking phenomenal orgasm.”

“You sure you won’t tell me your name?” He called from his bedroom.

“Nope!”

“Mine is Gar-“ 

She rushed out the door before she could hear it, then made her way outside to hail a shuttle to the hotel where she would find Nihlus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally decided to start posting this. Shepard/Nihlus/Garrus is absolutely my OT3, thanks in large part to some of my tumblr/discord friends (you know who you are). I hope everyone else who loves this pairing (triplet?) will enjoy this fic! I don't see enough of it personally so I'm doing my part to fill that void!
> 
> With some of my other finished fics I had been on a good schedule of posting weekly because I'd written considerably ahead, but that schedule put a lot of pressure on me to keep that far ahead and is honestly not maintainable so for this fic, while I'll try to post somewhat regularly, it probably won't be weekly postings like the others.


	2. Bonded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: This chapter contains sexual content

Turians slept lightly and woke readily; a result of millions of years of evolution honing them to be prepared for any signs of prey, or other predators. As a result, while humans and asari often slept all at once for several hours each night, turians slept in short bursts, waking frequently throughout the night and waking easily when disturbed.

Nihlus Kryik was just stirring from one of these short bursts of sleep when Shepard returned to their Spectre-issue penthouse hotel room, early in the morning before the Presidium had even shifted to its day cycle. 

The door creaked open and he heard shuffling as Shepard crossed the room and sidled in beside him in the bed. She pressed her body against his and kissed the edge of his cowl.

“Sleeping?” she whispered.

He rolled onto his back and greeted her with a flick of the mandibles. “Just woke up. You were gone for a while. Did you have fun?”

“Yes.” She smiled. “But it’s nice to be back here with you.”

He pressed his face against her neck, tickling her skin with his mandibles and relishing the sounds only he was able to elicit from her:  _ giggling _ . For a moment, she feigned a struggle, then fell still, stroking her fingers along the groove of his fringe while he inhaled against her skin. He could smell the other turian all over her; there was something almost exciting about that.

“He smells good.”

“What?”

“The turian you were with,” Nihlus clarified. “The scent he left on you. I like it.”

“Well I’m glad you approve.” Shepard laughed. “I’m assuming you had some fun of your own?”

“Not really. I had dinner with Avitus and Macen, so I just came home afterward since I didn’t really feel like being out and about. They say hello, by the way.”

“Haven’t seen them in a while.” She stretched. “I thought you were going to meet up with someone you could have a little fun with. You had to know you wouldn’t be getting anything with those two.”

He shrugged. “I know, but I hadn’t seen them in a while and I didn’t feel up to my A game.”

“You’re sure it doesn’t bother you that I was with another turian?”

“Of course it doesn’t.” He nuzzled against her. “You wanted to try it, I wanted you to try it.” 

The truth was, he hadn’t been in the mood for something casual that evening, though it had once been his favorite pastime while on the Citadel. He’d wanted  _ Shepard’s _ company, but they would be together on their ship, the Callisto, for several days on the way to Eden Prime; he hadn’t wanted to deprive her of the experience she was so clearly curious about just so he could have her to himself for the evening. Now that he was awake with her naked body pressed against his, her soft fingers gliding against his plates, his body was reminding him of what he’d wanted earlier.

If he was with anyone other than Shepard, he might have felt a little sheepish as his erection slid from its sheath, but there wasn’t much that could have embarrassed him in front of his mate.

“Hm, that happy to see me, Red?” She asked, in typical fashion.

He slid his thumb across her nipple. “What did you expect? I just woke up and here you are completely naked smelling like some other turian. I did promise to lick his scent off of you didn’t I?”

Without much warning, her hand slid between his legs and wrapped around his cock at the base. She slid her hand up and down the length of him a few times and all he could manage was a stuttering moan.

“I love you, Red, but I can’t take you right now.”

“That’s okay.” The words left his mouth in barely more than a whisper.

She nipped at the soft skin on the underside of his jaw while her hand moved. “I’ll help you out, though.”

“If you’re not up to it…”

“No. I don’t mind.” She shook her head. “It’s just that this other turian I was with was kind of...big... _ and _ he ended up  _ knotting _ so that was a whole thing and…”

Nihlus snorted. “He  _ knotted _ with a total stranger?”

“Never happend to you, huh?”

“Spirits, no. How embarrassing.” He was having difficulty focusing on the conversation with Shepard’s hand pumping up and down his cock, but he tried to multitask. 

Personally,  _ he _ had only ever had issues with  _ knotting _ with romantic partners: people he was emotionally entangled with. The thought of that particularly unpleasant facet of turian sexuality happening with a one-night stand was horrifying.

“Well it certainly wasn’t comfortable,” Shepard said, flicking her thumb against the head of his cock, which elicited a raspy trill from his subvocals.

The act effectively ended the conversation for the time being; he couldn’t focus on talking anymore, instead moving his hands to grip her sides tightly, talons dimpling against her soft skin, pulling her closer until they were wedged together with just barely enough room for her hand to move. He buried his face against her shoulder and nipped lightly.

She moaned softly. “Hey, Red?”

“Really having trouble talking right now, Freckles.” His voice was muffled against her skin.

“When did you start kissing like a human?” She ignored his complaint. 

He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes, but it felt like his brain was beginning to short-circuit as she refused to cease the movement of her hand. “What?”

“The turian I was with,” her hand slid up and back down with a slick sound, “he just sort of...put his tongue in my mouth. He wasn’t sure about kissing at first. I had to show him.”

Nihlus craned his neck with a groan. “Freckles…”

Suddenly, her hand stopped moving, squeezing with the lightest pressure. “Is this distracting you, Red?”

“Fuck me, you  _ know _ it is.”

She planted a delicate kiss on his lips and let go of him, trailing her kisses down his neck, his chest, his pelvis, until her head was between his legs. Something he had always appreciated about humans - and asari and drell, he supposed - was how soft and pliable their lips were. Turians couldn’t begin to approximate the feeling of those plush, pillowy lips, try as they might.

Shepard was particularly good and lavishing affection with her mouth.

When she was finished, Nihlus lay in a post-orgasmic haze, vaguely aware of Shepard’s fingers tiptoeing across his chest plating and up his keel bone.

“You able to speak now, Red?”

His eyelids were heavy. “Barely. What were you asking?”

“When did you start kissing like a human?”

“Well, if you’re asking, it was really ‘kissing like an asari’. They  _ have _ been around longer than the rest of us on the galactic civilization scale. And that’s the first alien I kissed; first trip to the Citadel. She taught me all about it. I’ve perfected it since then, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Sounds like your friend had a night of firsts, hm?”

“He’d never been with a human, at least.” She nestled against his shoulder. “Anyway, we don’t need to talk about him. I need to get  _ some _ sleep before we have to be at the docks tomorrow.” Her eyelids fell shut.

“Yeah, you better get rest now because I’m keeping my promise about licking his scent off of you. You won’t be sleeping much on the trip to Eden Prime,” he purred.

“Big talk,” she yawned. “You’ve always been a loudmouth, Red.”

He rested his head next to hers. “But I always follow through on it, you know that.” 

Her only response was a gentle brush of her fingers against the soft underside of his jaw before she let her hand fall to rest on his opposite shoulder. Content, he curled his fingers around hers and lay awake for a while, listening to the gentle sound of her breathing as she slept.

* * *

After Shepard, Nihlus’ ship “The Callisto” was the one thing in the universe he loved most.

As a general rule, ships were typically provided to Spectres based on the mission at hand. Most often, the military of whatever species the Spectre belonged to would provide a vessel or else the Spectre could legally commandeer one. Nihlus had tired of that routine quickly, and, after a nasty split from his ex-lover, Saren, had invested all of his funds into purchasing and renovating a clipper he’d named the Callisto. He’d hired his own crew and helped get her in running order and loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her.

Nihlus always took a moment to admire the Callisto before they boarded, and Shepard always rolled her eyes at the act; this time was no different. The ship had been modified and patched many times since he first purchased it, but it was still the same sleek black beauty it had always been.

He and Shepard stepped into the airlock and onto the bridge, where they were greeted by a grizzled-looking asari matriarch with a long, jagged scar running across her face.

“Got your coordinates, Nihlus. Eden Prime? What’s the Council want with a human colony?”

“Nice to see you too, Rizenda.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Ask Freckles. It’s basically just a big favor for her surrogate father. Should be a simple pickup.”

“Shepard?” Rizenda asked.

“Admiral Anderson asked us to retrieve some Prothean tech they found at a dig site. It’s like Red said, just a routine pickup. It’s just a high-security item so they wanted a Spectre on the mission and Anderson requested me.” Shepard flexed her shoulders. “I’m going to go down to the gym and run some laps on the holotrack. All this lying around in fancy hotel rooms is going to make me weak.”

“Doubtful. I’ll be down in a minute.” Nihlus watched her go before returning his attention to Rizenda.

“Any updates?”

The pilot shrugged. “Not much. Shields were on the fritz so Dennys patched them up. Govan restocked the fresh food supplies and got six months worth of reserve food supplies stocked as well, so we should be set in that department. We’re ready when you are, boss.”

“Well, let’s leave then. The sooner we get to Eden Prime, the better. This is precious cargo and neither the Council nor the Alliance will be happy if we dilly-dally on this one.  _ Besides _ , I know Freckles is trying to look good to impress her dad.”

“You got it,” Rizenda said. “After the relay jump we’re looking at an ETA of three days to the LZ. Traffic should be minimal since we’re docking away from the cities. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thanks.” He patted her shoulder and made his way through the rest of the bridge to the elevator so that he could join Shepard below deck.

Since he and Shepard had bonded, some changes had been made to the Callisto to better suit their new lifestyle. The crew deck on the second floor down had been renovated to provide more comfortable accommodations for the small, but trustworthy little family that ran their ship. In addition, the kitchens had been expanded and a chef had been hired on to make mealtimes more consistent.

Below the crew deck was the Spectre private quarters, which had also seen extensive modification since Shepard’s arrival. What had once been the bathroom at the bow of the ship had been gutted and modified to house a single powerful eezo canon, one which they had thankfully only used twice since installing. Directly in front of the battery was a small dining area where Shepard and Nihlus typically took their meals away from the rest of the crew. Two rooms on either side of the mess had once belonged separately to the two of them, but they had since compiled their lives into the one room on the port side of the ship; Shepard’s old room now served as a bunk-room after an unexpected extended stay from several members of the salarian special task group. 

In the center of the Spectre deck was a rec center complete with couches, vid screens, and a practical library’s worth of books lining shelves against the wall. Some of the room had been shortened to build up a new bathroom with multiple stalls - again prompted by the unexpected salarian visitors - and a fully-stocked gym. 

It was in the gym that Nihlus found Shepard running on a holotrack against the wall, facing a projected image of some lush green world they had undoubtedly visited at some point in their journeys together. She was sweating, her bright red hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, her numerous freckles visible thanks to the limited covering provided by her exercise attire. Nihlus wandered over to the side of the holotrack and stood watching her.

“Enjoying the show?” Her breath came heavy as she kept her pace.

“I always do. I like that flush you get in your cheeks when you’ve exerted yourself.” He pressed a finger against her blotchy red skin and watched the pale mark it left behind.

“Yeah, you like it better when I’ve been exerting myself with  _ you _ ,” she laughed.

“No denying that. I’m going to go read over the report Anderson sent us about this Prothean tech. Come find me before you shower.”

“You’re awful and insatiable,” she told him.

“I know, but you’re stuck with me anyway.” He heard her laugh again as he walked away, back out into the rec room.

Taking a seat on the couch and allowing himself room to spread out his long legs, he pulled up the datapad Sparatus had provided with Anderson’s information on the Prothean artifact dug up on Eden Prime. It wasn’t unusual for long-buried Prothean tech to turn up on seemingly meaningless colony planets, but it  _ was _ unusual for something important enough that they needed Spectre-issue cargo transport to safely remove it from the dig site.

The datapad contained limited information, relayed second-hand via Anderson who had received the info from one of the archaeologists on site at the point of excavation. Whatever the tech was, it was large and currently deactivated, though the scientists believed a Prothean expert might know how to activate it. They needed it shipped to the Citadel and secured in the archives until they could call in an expert to assess it. 

Eden Prime was a generally safe colony, often touted by the humans as a kind of ‘paradise’: a symbol of the fruits of humanity’s labors and a popular tourist destination. Uncovering a piece of tech this important was effectively painting a large red target on the colony for any pirates or other disreputable types that found out about it; it made sense that the scientists wanted to secure the protection of the device until they could understand it. Nihlus was intensely curious as to  _ what _ its purpose must be and he supposed as far as routine pickups went, it was somewhat more exciting than the average run.

He read over the details a few more times until Shepard emerged from the gym with her clothes piled in her arms. She deposited them in a chute against the wall that carried soiled clothing up to the laundry room on the crew deck, then quietly padded across the room to where Nihlus sat, removing the datapad from his hands and settling down on his lap.

“I’m done exercising now, Red.”

“What good timing, because I’m done reading now.” His mandibles flicked into a grin.

All further discussion was ended with a kiss.

Between the thoughts of all the things Nihlus planned on doing to Shepard during their short trip to Eden Prime, he also considered how grateful he was to have this tiny, passionate little human in his life; he really couldn’t have chosen a better life partner than Jane Shepard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really love writing Shryik more than I ever thought I would and it's been a few months since Diplomatic Relations so I kind of forgot how much I love writing these two idiots :) Thanks for all the wonderful comments on the first chapter and thanks for reading!


	3. Ex Machina

The only thing that Shepard knew about Eden Prime was that it was considered a verdant paradise. She’d never stepped foot on the planet herself; her own upbringing had been a far less luxurious one caring for herself on the streets of Chicago. Eden Prime had been a dream back then, somewhere the rich elite vacationed to, but to a poor orphan who’d never left earth, it was as unrealistic a goal as flapping her arms and flying. Still, she remembered the ads projected from vid screens and plastered on walls: “Paradise awaits on Eden Prime”, complete with stock footage of the rolling green hills and crystal-clear waterfalls.

What she found when she exited the Callisto with Nihlus much more closely resembled a nightmare than the dreamscape she had viewed in the projections. The entire planet seemed to be on fire, smoke billowing in thick black clouds in the distance while the acrid smell of both burning plastic and bodies assaulted their senses. 

They had landed in a small clearing roughly a mile away from the dig site: coordinates set by Anderson to avoid drawing suspicion, but which had become necessary as evidence of a firefight became clearer the closer they drew to the landing zone.

The ground had been decimated. Whatever force was assaulting the colony had already trailed through the area where they landed and on to the dig site. The tracks they left were irregular and unfamiliar despite Shepard’s extensive training during her time with the Alliance. Nihlus couldn’t recognize them either except to say that he thought they were ‘inorganic’ in nature, considering they left barely any detectable scent behind. Shepard’s guess was mechs, which would explain the ability to wreak so much havoc so quickly, but Nihlus seemed less certain.

Perhaps most disconcerting was the massive gunship hanging in the sky several miles out above the docking port for the nearby town. They had noticed it on approach, but attempts to scan it had failed. It wasn’t any make or model that they recognized; even their crew, made up of a diverse range of experienced aliens, didn’t recognize the ship. Whatever it was, it was of a scale larger than any ship Shepard had set eyes on, and for the moment it was hovering, immobile; undoubtedly it had unloaded whatever had started the gunfire below.

“Seems like a lot of destruction, even for pirates.” Nihlus noted as they made their way slowly through the path leading down to the dig site.

The area between the clearing where the Callisto had dropped them and the dig site was heavily wooded, but apparently devoid of any danger. Shepard and Nihlus both kept their guns raised, but the only signs of life were local fauna: harmless creatures drifting through the wood without any awareness of the devastation that had passed through.

As they turned the corner, they were greeted to their first dead body. It was an Alliance soldier, sprawled out on the ground with multiple bullet wounds, blood pooling beneath her and coating her armor. Shepard had seen plenty of death as a soldier, more still as a Spectre, but it still made her angry every time. She supposed that anger was a sign of her humanity; if she stopped feeling it, she had become numb to the violence.

“Senseless,” she hissed, kneeling down to press the soldier’s eyelids shut. She scanned the dog tags into her omni-tool to report the death to the Alliance once they were back in the safety of the Callisto.

“Based on the smell, there’s a lot more bodies up ahead. What could have done this?”

“Somebody who wants this Prothean tech badly enough. It must really be something.” 

Shepard pressed ahead and Nihlus followed close behind, winding through the woods until they reached the end of the trail, which opened out onto a clearing at the top of a hill. Down below they could see the dig site, surrounded by machinery and mobile housing units for the scientists, the path of destruction trailing right through it.

Amidst the machinery were large white spikes jutting from the ground all in a row like a set of razor-sharp teeth. Whatever they were, they didn’t strike Shepard as something the scientists had brought in with them; they were distinctly foreign and they set her teeth on edge.

“You ever seen anything like that, Red?” She nodded to the spikes.

“No. Unsettling. I don’t like this at all.”

“Me either. We need to g-” Her words were cut short by a harsh, resonating robotic sound that seemed to puncture the very fabric of the air; it came from the gunship hanging miles away at the docks.

“This is more than just pirates. Something’s gone terribly wrong here.”

She nodded. “We better keep moving.”

Onward they went, down the sloping hill, covered with the irregular tracks, past more dead soldiers still clutching their guns in their lifeless grip. Whatever had swept through had taken the soldiers out mercilessly. If trained Alliance marines couldn’t stand up to this kind of enemy, what hope did the scientists have?

They came to a halt a few yards from the dig site where two more soldiers lay slumped against a rock they had been using for cover. The blood-spatter behind them suggested whatever was hunting them found them before they could flee. To the left of them, they found more of the spikes they had seen from above, and, to Shepard’s horror, marines impaled on the ends of them, blood staining the length where it had trailed from the site of impact.

“What…?” She gasped. Her heart had fallen like a stone into her stomach. “Nihlus.”

She so rarely used his name, only for the most serious of situations. When he didn’t move to her side, she turned, surprised, and found him bent down next to one of the soldiers against the rock.

“Shepard.” Whatever he had to say must have been serious too, for him to address her like that.

“What is it?”

“I think she’s still alive.” He was struggling to remove the helmet from the soldier on the right. 

Shepard moved to his side quickly and helped him remove it. The soldier’s dark hair was pulled into a regulation bun that had been mussed with sweat, her eyes closed, blood trickling from her cheek where glass from the visor on her helmet had shattered. Was she alive? What did Nihlus see that Shepard didn’t?

All at once, the soldier’s eyes snapped open and she gasped for air, eyes wide with fear, shoving herself backwards only to find resistance against the rock. She looked from Nihlus to Shepard to the ground, scanning for the gun that lay a few inches from her hand.

“Whoa, whoa! Steady!” Shepard grabbed her shoulders before she could reach the gun. “It’s okay. We’re Council Spectres. We’re here to help.”

A little bit of the fear seemed to drain from her eyes then, though definitely not all of it. She took a few deep breaths and grabbed her gun anyway. Shepard couldn’t blame her; after whatever she had just been through, she would have wanted to be armed too.

“Who...who are you?” The soldier choked.

“I’m Jane Shepard. This is my partner, Nihlus Kryik. We came to retrieve some Prothean tech and found...all of this. What’s your name, soldier?”

“Shepard?  _ The _ Shepard?” She blinked at the two of them. “Am I still breathing?”

“Hm. That reputation of yours.” Nihlus stood up and folded his arms. “Get her some medi-gel. I’m going to take a look around and make sure there’s not any surprises lying in wait.”

“Don’t go too far,” Shepard warned. She turned her attention back to the soldier and applied some medi-gel to her most visible wounds. “So, can I get your name?”

“Sorry, ma’am.” She seemed to be regaining some of her wits. “Gunnery chief Ashley Williams. Unit 212. We were sent to defend the Prothean tech while the scientists prepped it for extraction, but when we got here, the geth had already started their assault.”

“ _ Geth _ !?” Shepard asked in disbelief. “Geth haven’t been seen beyond the veil in hundreds of years. You’re sure they were geth?”

“Positive, ma’am. They swept in from all sides. We tried to ambush them, but they took down my whole squad. Got me in the shoulder and smashed my visor, but my suit has a block on vitals scanning. I passed out and they must have left me for dead.”

“You’re a lucky woman, Williams. Show me where the bullet hit you.”

She tugged away her cracked shoulder plating, exposing the blood-soaked under armor. Shepard cut some of it with her omni-blade to reveal the wound, then gently applied medi-gel to keep it from bleeding further. Williams flexed her arm experimentally and nodded before slowly, carefully pushing herself to her feet.

“Oh God.” She stopped short at the sight of the soldiers pierced on the raised spikes. “What did they do to them?”

“It’s brutal. Listen, Williams, Nihlus and I have to get this piece of Prothean tech onto our ship. The path back to the clearing where we landed is safe. Are you steady enough to get yourself back there for pickup?”

“Respectfully, ma’am, there’s no way in hell I’m losing the chance to fight alongside the first human Spectre. I was assigned to guard the tech and I’m going to follow that duty through.” She bent down and picked up her partially shattered helmet from the ground, tapping out the broken glass before placing it back on her head.

“I get the feeling you’re too stubborn to talk you out of this?” Shepard checked her hip to one side as she observed the stalwart soldier.

“You’d be correct, ma’am. I’ll let you lead the way.”

Wasting no more time, they moved forward to join Nihlus down at the dig site. They found more of the spikes there, also peaked with dead soldiers, undoubtedly some of the men and women Williams had served alongside. Nihlus was kneeling at the center of the dig site, where several sets of floodlights were trained on a small pedestal where the device must have been seated; it was gone now.

“Difficult to make much out of this mess.” Nihlus greeted them. “Whoever came through here took the device. The trail leads up the hill. My guess is they’re extracting it to that strange ship we saw.” His eyes flitted to Williams with a look of surprise. “Didn’t expect to see you standing, soldier.”

“Please, sir, you can call me Ash. Or Williams. Whichever you prefer.” She eyed Nihlus up and down. Plenty of humans were distrustful of turians, especially Alliance officers; Shepard had been that way once herself. 

“Red, she said it was geth that came through,” Shepard explained. 

Nihlus’ mandibles flared. “Geth? Impossible.”

“I know what I saw, sir.” Ash held her ground. “There were dozens of them here, probably hundreds more lurking around, though there’s no telling. If they’re taking the device to the docks, I know the way, but we should hurry.”

Nihlus and Shepard exchanged a glance.

“All right. I can’t believe we’re dealing with geth, of all things. Geth haven’t been seen beyond the veil in…”

“I know.” Shepard interrupted. “She’s right. We should hurry.”

As they made their way up the hill, they quickly found what had become of the scientists; more spikes carried more bodies. The three of them observed the bloody mess with horror.

“What purpose could this serve?” Nihlus pondered aloud. “The geth are artificial intelligence. What do they need with ritualistic behavior like this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

As if in answer, one of the spikes lurched to life, sliding slowly down into the ground at its base, the body attached at its peak jostled by the sudden movement. The three of them stood stock still, weapons raised, as the other spikes began to move as well. When the spike reached the ground, Shepard realized with horror that the body had been altered somehow by its interaction with the geth technology. The shuddering husk of what had once been a person was coated in a thin blue sheen of electric energy, unseeing hollow blue eyes open wide, cybernetic implants running a course through the face and arms of this... _ creature _ .

And then it moved.

“ _ Spirits! _ ” Nihlus hissed, opening fire before the first husk could lift itself off the spike.

Shepard turned and fired on another as it wrenched itself from the spike, a gaping hole present in its chest slowly stitching itself back together with the aid of the cybernetics. It launched itself on her as she fired and exploded in a burst of electricity that knocked her onto her back and clipped half of her shields.

“Shit, they’ve got detonation sequences. We need to put some distance between us and handle them from there.” Nihlus grabbed her arm and pulled her back up to her feet.

Ash was frozen to the spot, arms shaking, staring at the husk approaching her, too afraid or too horrified to move. Nihlus moved quickly: one toss from his biotics sent the husk flying into a nearby cliff face, its body shattering from the impact.

“We need to move. Now!” He darted off up the path.

Shepard tugged on Ash’s arm, dragging her from her daze. She shook her head and followed, firing off rounds at the oncoming husks as they moved.

When they had placed a suitable amount of distance between themselves and the dig site, they turned to face the husks; at least six of them were charging up the hill ready to self-detonate. Nihlus used his biotics to fling them into the air while Shepard and Ash shot: it was a game Shepard had played with him many times before, facing down pirates or mercs on god forsaken backwater colonies, but it felt a good deal less fun in the face of these abominations. Nevertheless, it took care of the problem and they charged forward, Ash taking the lead, toward a tram station several hundred yards ahead that could carry them to the docks.

Up above, in the distance, the ship sounded its ungodly wail once again.

When they reached the tram, Ash jammed her fingers against the controls and it whirred to life, zipping along the tramline in the direction of the docks and the massive purple ship that had brought the geth here.

As soon as the tram was moving, Ash ripped her helmet off, leaned over the railing, and vomited up the contents of her stomach before slumping down against the protective barrier and hugging her knees to her chest. Shepard had done the same after her hardest missions, after watching friends get blown apart three feet in front of her, or watching a C.O. get shot in the head.

She’d never encountered anything quite like the husks though.

“You all right, Ash?” She skipped the formalities as she knelt down next to the traumatized soldier.

Ash pushed sweaty strands of hair from her face and lifted her gaze to meet Shepard’s. “I must seem so weak to you right now, ma’am. I just...I’ve never…”

“Fear isn’t weakness unless you let it paralyze you.” Shepard squeezed her shoulder. “Those things back there, I wouldn’t call that standard battle. The geth turned those people into monsters. You’re allowed to be angry and upset about that. I am.”

Ash nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Spirits, stop calling her that.” Nihlus groaned. 

“Sir?”

That earned her an indignant huff.

“You can just call us by our names,” Shepard offered. She turned to Nihlus. “Look at you, Red, you’re as riled up as we are and you’re trying to act like you’re not. Don’t take it out on her.”

His face softened. “I’m sorry. You’re right. This whole situation has me on edge. Geth turning humans into nightmare fuel, some monstrous spaceship hovering above this burning heap of a city. This was supposed to be a paradise world. How many innocent people did the geth murder to obtain that Prothean tech?”

“All the more reason to make sure we get it from them.”

“This could mean war, Shepard.” His expression was grave. “Even if we get the device, the geth attacked a human colony. I doubt the Council will respond, but humanity has never been the type to take an attack lying down. A war between humans and the geth...the Council will have to get involved eventually. Undoubtedly the quarians will. And…”

“One thing at a time.” She patted his arm. “We need to focus on this right now. It’s not our problem or our business if a war follows.”

He nodded and stared ahead as the tram continued on its path.

It took around fifteen minutes for the tram to pull to a stop just outside of the docks. Nihlus leapt over the barrier before it could even lower and jogged off. “I’m going to scout ahead, see what we’re up against. Keep your comms open!”

“Be careful, you idiot!” Shepard yelled. “If you die, I’ll kill you!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Freckles.”

He took off, leaving Shepard and Ash alone. They made their way slowly up the path Nihlus had taken, waiting for him to radio in about what he had found, following at a steady pace.

“You two seem, uh, close.” Ash noted.

“Go ahead. Say what you’re thinking. I doubt it’s something I haven’t heard before.” Shepard shrugged. 

Those who weren’t aware of her relationship with Nihlus tended to whisper about it, or make comments along the same lines as Ash’s. It was unusual for a turian and a human to be on such friendly terms, far more unusual to hear of a bonded pair. It riled the feathers of some of those who  _ did _ know the nature of things. Councilor Sparatus had, on more than one occasion, made snide comments about it, but Nihlus was incredibly good at deflecting them with snarky comebacks, while Shepard mostly ignored it.

It was obvious that Ash didn’t trust Nihlus fully, though she at least realized he was on the same side she was; Shepard could only imagine what she thought of their relationship.

“It’s really not my business, ma’am, er, commander. I mean...what should I call you?” Ash faltered.

“Shepard is fine. And I know it’s not your business, but you’re curious, and we’re walking. The answer is probably yes, to whatever you’re thinking. If you want to put a legal term, or a human one, then he’s my husband. We tend to use the turian terminology when we’re together though. Mate, partner, whichever.”

“Oh,” was all Ash could manage to say. After a moment had passed, she said, “I’ve never heard of a turian and a human together like that.”

“Maybe we’re the first. Maybe not.” Shepard shrugged. “The point is, I trust him with my life. I know you might be hesitant around turians. I was like that once. Just know that Nihlus will see this task through.”

“If you trust him, I trust him. You’re a hero as far as I’m concerned.” She gave Shepard a salute.

“Ah, geez. Enough of that.” Shepard waved her hand dismissively. She’d received her fair share of praise after the battle on Elysium, the same battle that had earned her her place as the first human Spectre.  _ That _ title had brought plenty of praise with it as well. She was bashful around fans and uncertain what to do with excessive praise. Nihlus usually deflected it for her, or else people were more hesitant to approach her with a massive turian at her side.

They reached the edge of the tram station, where the path rounded the corner onto the docks. A set of stairs led down to where several ships were docked, but the area was strangely devoid of geth. Down below on the main platform, the Prothean device was immediately visible: a large stone sculpture that looked partially broken, certainly not functional at any rate. Directly in front of the device, Nihlus stood talking to another turian, of all people, one Shepard immediately recognized, even from a distance.

She had never met Saren Arterius in person, but she was well aware of the Spectre’s history with Nihlus. He had been Nihlus’ mentor, then his lover, then he had abruptly ended both relationships and requested a transfer to avoid working with Nihlus. That transfer request had ultimately led Nihlus to his assignment as Shepard’s mentor, but not before emotionally devastating him. She had seen what Saren had done to Nihlus, and despite not knowing him, held an eternal grudge against the man. She was also familiar with his record of less than reputable methods for dealing with missions; he had a reputation for succeeding through any means necessary, and the means were often brutal.

The only reason Shepard even recognized Saren was because she’d looked him up more than once out of curiosity when she and Nihlus had first begun their relationship. He was a distinctive looking turian, with parts of his fringe extending from the sides of his facial plating in a way she’d never seen on anyone else. He seemed to be discussing something with Nihlus and they didn’t appear to be shouting, but his presence, combined with the lack of geth in the area, made her incredibly uneasy.

“Who is that talking to Nihlus?” Ash whispered.

“Another Spectre. I don’t know what he’s doing here, though. Come on. We’ll approach quietly.”

“You don’t trust him.” It was a statement, not a question.

“I don’t. He has a reputation.” Shepard led the way down the steps toward the docks, keeping her eyes trained on Saren and Nihlus all the while.

The two turians continued to talk, though they were too far for Shepard to pick any of it up. She could at least notice the irritated twitch of Nihlus’ mandibles as he spoke, and the way his fists clenched and unclenched. He turned his head to gaze at the Prothean device and suddenly Saren raised his gun, aiming it directly at the back of Nihlus’ head.

Whatever fear Shepard had felt in the face of the husks back at the dig site was meaningless compared to the fear that nearly froze her to the spot then. She rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping herself in her hurry, and let out a wild cry.

“NIHLUS!”

He turned just in time, and the sound distracted Saren enough that his hand faltered and the shot he fired hit Nihlus in the chest rather than the head. The impact sent him reeling backward. Shepard ran as fast as her legs would carry her, firing wildly at Saren as he wisely chose to flee. She wasn’t aiming, didn’t want to risk slowing herself down when the shot still could have killed Nihlus. Ash chased after Saren while Shepard fell to the ground next to Nihlus, her armor scraping against the rough stone of the docks.

Cobalt blood pooled beneath him, but he was still conscious and clearly in shock. Without thinking, Shepard ripped his chest armor off and cut away his under armor to expose the wound. The bullet had hit a gap in his chest plating near his shoulder and torn right through him. A quick application of medi-gel at least stemmed the bleeding; she had a feeling the emotional pain would last far longer than the physical.

“You okay, Red?” She was barely aware of the tears forming in her eyes.

“Saren…” He gripped her arm. “It’s his ship. The geth are with him.”

“Why?” Shepard gasped.

“I don’t know. He was after the device. Spirits, getting shot  _ hurts _ .” 

She helped him to sit up, though he still clung to her.

“We need to get out of here,” she said. She turned and spoke into her comm link. “Rizenda, I’m sending you my coordinates. Nihlus has been injured and we have the device at a new location. We need the Callisto here ASAP.”

A few seconds later, the asari’s voice sounded over the link. “Received. Heading your way. ETA five minutes.”

“He was going to kill me…” Nihlus stared down at the wound in his chest. “If you hadn’t…he would have done it if you hadn’t yelled. He tried...I….”

“Hey.” She grabbed both sides of his face. “You’re okay.”

“I _ loved him _ once.” There was a storm behind his bright green eyes. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know, but we need to alert the Council if he’s working with the geth. A Council Spectre attacking a human colony is grounds for status removal.” 

Shepard stood up, one hand resting gently against Nihlus’ shoulder, and scanned the horizon. Ash had disappeared chasing Saren down, but the Callisto would arrive soon and she wasn’t leaving the soldier to fend for herself in the midst of all this chaos.

“Ash, this is Shepard. Abandon pursuit of the Spectre. We need to leave. Now!” She spoke into her comm link.

For several seconds there was no reply. Shepard shifted her weight from one leg to the other and stared at her comm link impatiently. Nihlus looked weary; he leaned some of his weight against her legs where she stood behind him and held his hand against his wound with a wince.

Shepard spoke into her comm link once again, “Ash. Repeat. This is Shepard. You need to get back to the docks  _ now _ .”

“Geth incoming.” Ash’s voice broke over the comm line, heavy gasps issuing between words. “Spectre retreated into his vessel. I’ve got at least fifty geth on my tail. I’ve got a cloaking device on my armor...only lasts less than a minute. If I don’t make it back to the docks, leave without me.” The comm link stayed on, gunfire crackling amidst the sounds of Ash’s heavy breathing and heavier footsteps.

Shepard cursed and grabbed Nihlus’ good arm. “Can you stand?”

“Yes.” He let her help him up, wincing again as his chest and arm muscles flexed involuntarily with the movement.

The Callisto appeared from above, descending onto a clearing on the docks and drawing down the hangar bay doors. Several of the turian engineers hopped out and Shepard directed them toward the Prothean device while she pushed Nihlus forward, glancing back every few seconds for signs of Ash.

The sounds of gunfire drew closer as the turians rushed the device onto the Callisto. Nihlus stood at the top of the ramp into the ship, holding the wall with his good arm, mandibles twitching with impatience while Shepard waited at the bottom of the ramp.

“Come on, Freckles, we can’t wait for her. We need to get out of here.”

Above them, Saren’s ship let out its metallic wail and a bright red beam of energy shot from it, blasting through one of the dock buildings and shattering it to pieces, debris flying everywhere. Shepard stepped back further on the ramp in alarm.

“What the fuck is that thing?”

She felt a firm grip on her shoulder as Nihlus yanked her further toward the ship. “I’m not losing you trying to save this marine!”

“Ten more seconds.” She pushed his hand away.

He snorted in irritation and his boots echoed through the hangar as he marched away. She turned, surprised he would leave her that easily, only to hear him yell into his comm link, “Get this ship off the ground, Riz!”

“No! Red!”

“She’s got fifty geth on her tail, Shepard. You think she can outrun that?”

“Don’t you ‘Shepard’ me. I’m not leaving her behind.” She slammed her fist on the emergency stop for the ramp hydraulics even as the ship began to lift off from the ground.

Across the docks, the geth came into view: dozens of them, as Ash had promised. They were headed straight for the ship, firing not only at Shepard, but at the Callisto’s thrusters as well. The ship hovered above the ground, preparing to take off.

“GET IN THE SHIP, SHEPARD.” Nihlus grabbed her by the back of her armor.

“Look!” 

Ahead of the geth, the air flickered and Ash appeared, her cloaking veil worn off. Her weapons were gone and she was running as fast as her burdensome armor would allow. Some of the geth were so close than one misstep would see her trampled.

Shepard tore away from Nihlus and ran to the end of the ramp, clinging to the edge of it as Ash drew closer and closer. She reached her arm out, ready to pull the soldier onto the rising ship. Behind her, Nihlus growled, but his gun fired on the incoming geth.

With as much strength as she had left, Ash flung herself upward, just managing to grasp the ramp as the ship pulled away. Shepard grabbed her arms and looked down to find her flailing wildly; a geth unit had taken hold of her leg and the others were firing up at her, depleting what little remained of her shields.

Nihlus stepped to the edge of the ramp and fired on the geth digging into Ash’s leg, releasing its grip and sending it flying into its companions below. Together, he and Shepard hauled Ash onto the ramp and ran inside, closing it just as the ship sped away from the docks.

The three of them lay panting and gasping as the medics moved in. Nihlus had exerted too much effort in helping Shepard rescue Ash, and the medi-gel sealing his wound had broken apart, fresh blood oozing from the wound onto his bare chest.

There would be time to worry about Ash later; for the moment, Nihlus was Shepard’s number one priority. She rushed to his side as the ship’s head medic arrived, a middle-aged turian named Korvus. He frowned and turned to the other medics.

“Gunshot to the upper left chest. Get him to the medbay.  _ Now. _ There’s a chance it may have hit a vital artery.”

“I’m not dead yet,” Nihlus groaned.

But he was losing color in his neck, and the blood was flowing fast and heavy from the wound. The medics moved in to lift him and carry him to the elevator while Korvus followed them, close behind.

A few of the other medics remained behind to assess Shepard and Ash, though Shepard tried in vain to shoo them away from her. It turned out a geth bullet had grazed her cheek; she had been too concerned about helping Ash to really notice.

Ash hadn’t been hit, but the geth that grabbed her leg had managed to dislocate her knee. The medics readjusted it with a loud  _ pop _ and even louder cry of pain from the soldier, then they carried her away to administer pain meds.

Alone and exhausted, Shepard fell back against the floor as it hit her how badly injured Nihlus was. He would be fine, there were no other alternatives. They’d both been shot plenty of times, and if she could survive a grenade to the face with no plating, he could survive a gunshot wound. She trusted Korvus with her life; he would make sure Nihlus was okay.

But what a monumental disaster the pickup had turned out to be. Sure, they managed to get the device, but Saren was there first; who could say what data he’d obtained from it even if he didn’t get away with the actual device. It was supposed to be a routine pickup on a tourist colony and instead they’d run into geth - outside the veil for the first time in 300 years - operating under a Council Spectre already infamous for his brutal tactics. Half of the quiet little town where the Prothean artifact had been uncovered had now been decimated by the geth and Saren’s enormous otherworldly ship. And, perhaps selfishly, the worst of it all was that Saren had tried to kill Nihlus, would have if Shepard had arrived even a second later; the thought that she was that close to losing him was almost too much to bear.

With a struggle, she eventually pulled herself up off the hangar bay floor and headed up for the Spectre’s quarters above to clean herself off and try to think of a way she could possibly explain this mess to the Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully it's no surprise that our buddy Nihlus survives Eden Prime (since this is my "Nihlus Lives" series) but there you go. More soon! Thanks to all who've been reading!


	4. Constellations

It had been five years since Saren suddenly and unceremoniously severed his relationship with Nihlus, abruptly requesting that Nihlus be transferred out of his service and never speaking to him again. Five years and Nihlus still remembered the way his rough hands felt against his plates, the way he left his scent behind long after they had been together, the way he felt inside of him.

Nihlus had been young and naive when he was awarded Spectre status and assigned to work under Saren. With years apart, Nihlus had come to realize just how much Saren had taken advantage of that naivety, but he refused to believe that Saren  _ never _ loved him, that it was all just a ruse to get a stupid kid to trust him unconditionally.

Saren had been the first person he really truly loved. He would have bonded with him, if only Saren had asked, but he never did. Still, he’d heard Saren’s subvocals humming when they were together, heard him say those three sweet words with absolute sincerity.

How then, after all they had been through, regardless of the chasm now between them after five long years, could Saren shoot to kill without any emotion in his eyes. He didn’t even look remorseful after firing the shot; whatever regret he wore in his expression came from the fact that he’d missed his mark.

Two days had passed since Eden Prime, though most of the first day had been spent in the med bay recovering. Two days, and all Nihlus could think about day and night was that the man he’d once loved had tried to kill him; if not for Shepard’s timely arrival, he  _ would _ have killed him.

He was aware he wasn’t handling the emotional fallout of the encounter well.

Shepard, his constant companion, had tried to coax a conversation out of him several times already, but he didn’t want to discuss it. She hid her concern poorly, and the more times he rebuffed her attempts to get him to open up, the more agitated she became. Humans were bad at masking emotions, but Shepard especially had a hard time getting away with it, considering how well Nihlus knew her. She was mad at him and trying to pretend she wasn’t, because of how worried she was. It would have been sweet if Nihlus wasn’t feeling so angry himself.

Complicating matters was the Alliance soldier they’d brought along, the marine Shepard had nearly died rescuing, because that was the kind of thing Shepard did. The air on the Callisto was icy at best with Nihlus steadfastly avoiding Shepard and barely sleeping; the marine, Ash, had spent most of her time up on the crew deck, probably to avoid being caught in the middle of the inevitable lovers’ quarrel.

Nihlus had no strong opinions about the woman; she was tough and could hold her own in a fight, which had been useful in the chaos on Eden Prime, but she was also a stranger, and he didn’t particularly want  _ anyone _ around when he was feeling so miserable. Shepard seemed to like her though, and had already been in touch with Anderson about getting her a ship assignment after the mess they’d dealt with on the colony.

Shepard circled like an orbiting planet, one minute giving Nihlus the space he requested, then looping back to probe him with concerned questions.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you going to talk to me about this?”

“You can’t bottle it up, Red.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

The only questions he would answer were inquiries about how his injured shoulder was feeling, if he needed more pain meds, if he’d gone to see Korvus at all. Even these questions he answered with one-word responses or shrugs. He knew Shepard was only trying to help, but her pestering concern was quickly getting on his last nerve and it came to a head on the beginning of the third day.

She was pouring herself some coffee and scanning her datapad while he lay on the couch in the rec room, where he had lain for hours hoping sleep might find him, but to no avail. She had spent her second night without him in their room and he could almost feel the irritation radiating off of her as she stood a few feet away in the mess hall.

“You didn’t come to bed last night,” she said without looking up from her datapad.

“No.”

“Did you sleep?”

“No.”

“Jesus Christ, Nihlus.” She slammed her coffee cup down, spilling some of it over the edge and onto the kitchen countertop. She reserved his real name for arguments, or particularly serious conversations; the sound of it was almost alarming.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

“I can’t do this. We don’t have time for you to not talk to me, okay?” She looked up at him. “Every second I haven’t been checking on you, I’ve been on the phone with Anderson, I’ve been on the phone with Udina, with Hackett, with the Council. They want to know what the fuck happened on Eden Prime and I’m trying to put these fires out and I _need_ _you_ , Nihlus. I can’t do this alone.” 

He stared at her and said nothing, though he was beginning to feel guilty.

“I told Sparatus it was Saren and the geth and he asked me what evidence I had to support such a wild claim. Tevos said we’ll discuss it when we get to the Citadel, but you know what they’re going to say. We both do. They’re going to say it’s a baseless claim that you’re spurring because of your history with Saren.”

“That’s bullshit,” Nihlus finally spoke.

“Yeah, well welcome to reality, Nihlus. The Council is bullshit. And I’m wading through ten tons of it by myself and I’m hurting because I know you’re hurting and you won’t fucking talk to me!”

“Spirits, it’s been barely been three days. Could you just give me some space!” He growled.

“No. I can’t give you space. I know that you’re going through some shit right now because someone you used to love tried to kill you. But guess what? Someone else you love is worried fucking sick about you and trying to keep up with her responsibilities at the same time. There isn’t time to be so emotionally constipated!” She crossed the room and stood in front of him. “We always talk about things.  _ Always _ . I can’t handle this. You not talking. I can’t handle it and I can’t handle sleeping alone and all I can think about is that if I had shown up a second later he would have killed you.” Tears welled in her eyes and suddenly all of the anger Nihlus had been feeling was replaced with grief.

He lifted his hand and brushed the tears from her cheek with his finger. “Don’t...Freckles, don’t cry.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m mad at you!” She sniffled.

“I’m sorry. I know sometimes I’m not easy to love. I…”

She shook her head. “No. No, Red.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “It’s always easy to love you. It’s just hard to like you sometimes.”

He pulled her onto his lap and stroked her hair. “Why did he try to kill me?” The words left his mouth in a gasp, subvocals trembling. “What did I do to him that he hates me so much now?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m sorry he hurt you. I can’t imagine how you’re feeling. What can I do for you, Red? I want to help you through this.”

What was there to be done? She couldn’t undo what Saren had done to him. He was in pain, emotionally and physically and it would take time for that to heal. But he wasn’t feeling angry now that her hands were on his plates, brushing against his cheeks and mandibles. Instead, he felt grateful to have someone who cared so much about him in his life. 

The trajectory of Nihlus’ relationship with Shepard began in a similar fashion to his relationship with Saren, but the endpoint could not have been more different, more extreme. Shepard was his equal in every way, she complemented all of his faults and strengthened all of his positive attributes; she always looked out for him. The pain of what Saren had done to him may have been fresh, but when it was gone, Shepard would be there still to tend to his wounds.

He traced a finger down the side of her neck where she bore an impressive network of scars, scars given to her by a grenade she’d selflessly jumped in front of to save his life. 

“There’s nothing you can do that you aren’t already doing, Freckles.”

She kissed his nose and nuzzled against it. “I’m here for you always. You know that, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“I know it will take time to heal from this, but you can’t cut me out. If nothing else is consistent in our relationship, it’s that we talk through the hard times. We communicate. You don’t have to say anything now if you don’t want to, but you can’t keep ignoring me either.” She ran her hand along the top of his fringe. “Wake me up in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep, Red. Talk to me. That’s how we’ve always done this. I don’t want another night without you next to me, okay?”

He nodded. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I was overwhelmed, and it’s been so long since I’ve seen him…”

“I know.” She kissed him softly. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“It was justified. I know when I’m being an ass.”

They both laughed at that, and the sound made him feel better, if only a little.

She leaned in close, pressing her body against his and whispered, “You’re all the stars in the sky.”

And he knew, eventually, things would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really love writing Shepard and Nihlus. Sorry this chapter's a bit short but I'm trying this new thing where I just kind of write to natural end points instead of struggling to stretch a chapter out to what I think is a "suitable" length because I think the writing is better and more genuine that way. Anyway, happy holidays, y'all!


	5. Red Red Red

“All right, Vakarian, get your things together.”

When the door to Garrus Vakarian’s office opened, he had been expecting Chellick. He had been scrolling through an endless sea of files related to his case against the Spectre Saren Arterius, poring over details he’d already visited twenty or thirty times before. The files were meticulously organized, but they all led nowhere: rumors and secondhand accounts were not substantive evidence.

Looking up from the screen his eyes had been glued to for hours, he was surprised to see Executor Pallin, rather than his detective friend. Pallin had been riding his ass about the Arterius case; a friend of the Council’s, he had no interest in seeing a Spectre crash and burn so miserably, so his hand in the case was entirely biased. It was no secret that Pallin - and several other high-ranking turians - wanted Garrus to fail. If the rumors about Saren Arterius were true, it reflected poorly not just on the Council and the Spectres, but on turians in particular.

“Sir?” Garrus placed a hand tentatively on the OSD containing a backup of all of his files.

“This is a sensitive matter, Vakarian. Two Spectres are speaking before the Council about the attack on Eden Prime. We’re going. Bring any data you have.”

He had heard about the attack on the human colony; everyone had heard about it. If not for the security footage looping on the news every hour, Garrus wouldn’t have believed the truth, that geth had ventured beyond the veil for the first time in centuries to lay waste to a human tourist destination. What could they have been after on a colony with such limited military presence? The rumors had been flying through C-Sec since the news broke, but he doubted there was much truth to any of them. 

Now that Pallin was calling him out of his office to attend a Council meeting with two Spectres, he was a little more suspicious that at least one of the rumors might be true.

“Is this related to the case, sir?” Garrus asked, even as he pocketed the OSD and followed his superior officer out into the hallway.

“If the claims these Spectres are making are true.”

“Which Spectres, sir?”

“Kryik and Shepard,” the executor snorted unhappily. 

Garrus had a hard time keeping track of the numerous Council Spectres. He was familiar with the most famous ones, of course, and at least recognized the name Shepard as belonging to the first human Spectre, but he couldn’t have picked her from a lineup. Kryik he recognized only in relation to his investigation into Saren Arterius; Saren had been Nihlus’ mentor, but most of the incriminating rumors surrounding Saren were events that occurred after their partnership had ended.

“Do they think Arterius had something to do with the events on Eden Prime?”

“That remains to be seen. Councilor Sparatus called me this morning and briefly explained some of their claims. He asked me to attend the hearing. I thought it prudent to bring you as well.” Or he thought it would help remove some of the bias he clearly had toward the situation if he at least pretended he was giving Garrus a fair shot at this investigation.

“Why were the Spectres on Eden Prime?” Garrus asked.

“Council business.”

_ Obviously _ . He didn’t press his luck. He’d never been to the top floor of the Citadel Tower before, much less the actual Council chambers. Listening in on a first-hand account of what happened on Eden Prime would be a more detailed look into Spectre affairs than most C-Sec officers were afforded; if Saren was involved, even better.

The executor led them through C-sec to the exchange leading up to the Presidium, and further still up to the Citadel tower. The elevators in the Citadel were excruciatingly slow, and Garrus was left feeling antsy and impatient as they rose ever up toward the top of the tower.

“We’ll be observing from the balcony. If,  _ and only if _ , I’m addressed, then I may have you present some of your findings,” Pallin explained.

“Sir, my findings are circumstantial at best.” Garrus hated to admit it, because the longer he failed to turn up anything concrete, the more likely it was the case would be dropped. 

It wasn’t necessarily  _ right _ for a C-Sec officer to go with a gut feeling over hard evidence, but Garrus  _ knew _ Saren was crooked. If all of the rumors and evidence he’d gathered over the past few weeks were true, Saren was a disgrace to the name of turians everywhere, and a blight on the Council’s record. Someone so embroiled in such dangerous and seedy affairs didn’t need the unlimited power that came with being a Spectre.

He sincerely hoped whatever these Spectres had to say about Eden Prime, it would put an end to Saren Arterius’ brutal reign.

When the elevator finally reached the top floor of the tower, it opened onto a magnificent marble walkway leading up to a serene antechamber with vaulted ceilings, flowing water, and plants from all over the galaxy. Within the antechamber, highly respected authority figures from nearly every race could be seen quietly talking, some of them waiting for an audience with the Council, while others were simply taking a break from their work.

Pallin nodded at some as he passed, even once flicked his mandibles into a smile. Garrus observed the space in awe, barely keeping up with the executor in his eagerness to take in every last inch of the room. 

It seemed, however, that the best view had been saved for last. Through a door against the right-hand wall and up a narrow set of stairs, they stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the Council Chambers. At the center of the room stood a small platform extending out over a glass floor beneath which there was a small tranquility garden. Directly above and in front of the platform was a wide walkway with three terminals facing inward, and behind that, floor-to-ceiling windows allowing a stunning view of the arms of the Citadel.

“Close your mouth, Vakarian, and pay attention,” Pallin barked.

Garrus tore his eyes away from the windows to focus on the center of the room once more. Neither the Spectres nor the Council had arrived yet, though a few other important people stood around them on the balcony, and more still across the room.

“When are the Spectres supposed to arrive?” He asked.

“Well, knowing Kryik and Shepard, they’ll be thirty minutes late.”

Garrus had to suppress a grin. He held no grand notions about the Council; they were three big-headed windbags with too much power. If a few of their Spectres were causing them grief just because they could, then he liked the Spectres a good deal better than the Council.

The Councilors arrived a moment later, stepping from an unseen door against the far wall and out onto the walkway suspended above the room. First out was Sparatus, a middle-aged turian with Cipritine colony markings and plates a shade of deep red; behind him came Tevos, the asari councilor. Garrus had no idea how to tell the age of an asari, but he imagined Tevos must be several hundred years old to have achieved the role of Councilor for her species. Last out was the salarian councilor, Valern, his face mostly shrouded by the patterned robes he wore.

Even from a distance, Garrus thought Sparatus looked irritated. His mandibles twitched and he shifted his weight from hip to hip as he stood before his terminal. Was he irritated about the subject matter, or just that the Spectres had yet to arrive?

“You would think that for a matter this important, Shepard and Kryik might show up on time,” Pallin huffed.

“You’ve dealt with them before, sir?”

“Unfortunately. Kryik tries to turn everything into a joke or else an innuendo. Trying to have a serious conversation with him is like taming a varren. Shepard is just a typical bull-headed human with no respect for galactic policy.”

Part of Garrus doubted the executor’s words. Pallin had a notoriously short fuse and, like many turians, was distrustful of humans. In Garrus’ experience, humans were overly curious - which is what caused the Relay 314 incident in the first place - and they had a tendency to steamroll others in discussions. Still, there were plenty of humans at C-Sec that he enjoyed spending time with, and there was a difference between someone questioning authority and disrespecting it. Besides, since his run-in with the attractive, spotty human he’d met down in the wards a week earlier, Garrus had started to see humans in an  _ entirely _ new light.

So enjoyable had that brief encounter been, that he’d nearly gone out again in the hopes that he might find another human to try it with, or else, against all hope, run into the same human again. He hadn’t even gotten her name, but the memory would last him a lifetime, even despite the awkward knotting ordeal at the end of it all.

He was leaning against the balcony railing contemplating that encounter, daydreaming about how soft she had been all over, how vibrantly red her hair was, when the Spectres arrived. Kryik walked in first, decked out in black armor with red trim. He had the same colony markings as Sparatus, and red plates as well, but his were darker, and he was much younger and leaner than the Councilor.

Behind him came Shepard and that was when Garrus had to do a double-take because there, walking toward the center of the room, was the human he’d had  _ unbelievable _ sex with only a week earlier. She looked noticeably different in full armor with no makeup on, but there was no denying it was her. If the bright red hair and freckles weren’t enough of a giveaway, the very distinct scarring pattern on the right side of her neck told him it was definitely her. He had slept with the first human Spectre and not even known it.

Then Kryik turned to glance up at the balcony, addressing Pallin with an agitated flick of the mandibles, and Garrus noticed the pale crescent scar on the left side of his neck.

Nihlus Kryik was the mate Shepard had been referring to on their night together.

Garrus’ head was spinning so fast he was barely aware that the Councilors had begun addressing the two Spectres. He tried to calm his racing thoughts and pay attention, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Shepard. She hadn’t noticed him at all of course, hadn’t even glanced up to the balcony. She stared straight ahead with jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed.

“As you know, we’re here to discuss the allegations you’ve levelled against Saren Arterius regarding the events on Eden Prime.” Sparatus spoke first. “We feel that it’s only fair Saren be present to defend himself, but considering he’s on assignment on Invictus, he’ll be attending the meeting via comm link today.”

“He’s not on assignment on Invictus, and I don’t see how his word is any better than ours,” Nihlus growled. His hands were balled into fists.

Sparatus’ subvocals buzzed, but he said nothing outright. Beside the Councilors, the large video link projector flickered to life and Saren appeared, a jagged red image, arms folded across his chest as he glared down at Nihlus and Shepard.

“Good morning, Councilors. I hope we can resolve this issue quickly. Reception on Invictus is...patchy, at best.” Something about Saren’s voice set Garrus on edge, though he couldn’t quite place what. His subvocals were harsh, but it wasn’t just that.

“If Kryik and Shepard could present the evidence they have to substantiate the claim that Saren is the one responsible for the geth attack on Eden Prime…” Tevos said. 

“If Saren’s found a way to control the geth, he deserves a medal,” Sparatus snorted. “But that’s obviously not the case.”

“How the hell do you explain the geth showing up outside the veil for the first time in three hundred years then?” It was Shepard’s turn to speak. “And on Eden Prime of all places. You sent us there to pick up Prothean tech, well we did what you asked, despite an army of geth and a Spectre actively trying to kill us.”

“What would Saren stand to gain from this attack?” Valern asked. “Without proof that he was even present on Eden Prime, these are just baseless accusations. Your word against his. We cannot simply go around stripping every Spectre of their status because another Spectre takes issue with them. Mr. Kryik’s relationship with Saren is well-known to the Council.”

“That’s a very important point,” Sparatus said. “You and Saren have a history that can’t be ignored, Nihlus. Without evidence, this seems to me to be nothing more than a witch hunt against a lover that wronged you, hardly an appropriate matter to bring to the Council.”

Nihlus’ mandibles flared. “Excuse me? This has nothing to do with that. I have a gunshot wound in my shoulder that  _ he _ gave me before he fled.”

“And no proof that the wound wasn’t sustained fighting the geth.”

“Even if Saren wasn’t behind it, a human colony was attacked!” A middle-aged human stepped forward quite suddenly, surprising both the Councilors and the Spectres. Garrus vaguely recognized the man as the human ambassador; all he really knew was that Pallin disliked him.

“Ambassador Udina, we will call on you if we require your input,” Tevos said, nearly showing a loss of composure, but recovering quickly.

“This isn’t just about Shepard and Kryik’s testimony.” Udina continued arguing. “What is the Council going to do about the fact that geth are now roaming Council space?”

“One attack on  _ one _ port on  _ one _ human colony doesn’t justify Council intervention. If the Alliance is concerned about safety, they can increase security measures.”

“Typical response. The Council doesn’t care about any of the non-Council races, if we…”

“Speaking of the Alliance,” Sparatus interrupted Udina, “Isn’t it true an Alliance marine survived the attack? What does she have to say about the matter?”

Shepard turned and scanned the back of the room, waving for someone to join them. From the opposite end of the room, a soldier in Alliance dress blues approached, her hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her skull. She was very severe looking.

“This is gunnery chief Ashley Williams,” Shepard explained. “As far as we’re aware, the only survivor of the assault on Eden Prime. She can vouch for the fact that Saren was present and tried to kill Nihlus. Even if he didn’t lead the geth there, he still injured another Spectre with the intent to kill!”

“Your stake in this is no less complicated, Shepard.” Sparatus flicked his mandibles. “We’re well aware that your loyalty to Kryik far outweighs your loyalty to the Council.”

“Let the marine speak,” Tevos said.

Williams stepped forward and looked ahead past the Councilors as she spoke. “Thank you, Councilors. Spectres Shepard and Kryik rescued me from the geth assault on Eden Prime. I was present when Saren Arterius attempted to shoot Kryik in the back of the head. As he drew his gun, Shepard called out to Kryik and distracted both Spectres. Saren fired and his shot landed in Kryik’s upper chest, near the shoulder. He then fled, and I took chase while Shepard saw to Kryik’s wounds. I was unsuccessful in my pursuit and had to retreat due to geth presence.”

Tevos and Valern exchanged a glance, but Sparatus seemed unmoved.

“I don’t think we can destroy a man’s entire career on the testimony of two highly-biased Spectres and an Alliance marine,” he said.

Tevos sighed. “Unfortunately Councilor Sparatus is right. We require concrete evidence for such a severe punishment. Unless you can provide that evidence, I’m afraid we must conclude this meeting.”

“I’m glad that the Councilors see reason. None of us have time for these games, Nihlus, I would have thought by now you might have matured beyond that.” Saren shook his head. “If you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to.”

With that, the connection was severed. Valern called an end to the meeting and the Councilors swept away while below, Udina began yelling and arguing with Shepard and Nihlus. Garrus couldn’t blame any of them for being angry; the entire meeting had been a waste of time and a miscarriage of justice. It was one thing to deny the claims of a Spectre who had a history with the accused and his bondmate, it was another thing to ignore eyewitness testimony from a mostly impartial third party.

“Vakarian?”

Garrus snapped his gaze away from Shepard and the others. Pallin stood with his arms crossed.

“Sir?”

“I would suggest we put an end to this investigation. You’ve turned up no significant leads and the Spectres had no concrete evidence against Arterius. Your abilities could be put to better use.”

“Sir, please. Just give me one more day,” Garrus begged. 

Pallin snorted unhappily and looked down at the Spectres. “Fine. One day. If you aren’t able to turn up anything after that, I’m reassigning you. I’ll see you down at headquarters.”

He left through the side door to the stairwell and, after a moment’s hesitation, Garrus rushed down to the first floor as well. Half of him was mortified at the prospect of speaking face to face with Shepard now that he knew who she was, but the other half of him that wanted to help her pin Saren Arterius won out over his anxiety.

As he made his way toward the steps leading down from the Council chambers, Udina stormed past him looking furious. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and stared up, waiting impatiently for Shepard and the others to exit.

He only had to wait a moment before she appeared, Nihlus at her side, the marine trailing behind them.

“Spectre Shepard!” Garrus waved a hand to get her attention.

She looked up, saw him, and nearly missed the next step down the stairs. Her entire body visibly tensed at the sight of him. Beside her, Nihlus grabbed her arm.

“All right, Freckles?” He asked before he looked up to see Garrus. “C-Sec? Can we help you?”

“Yes. Can we  _ help you _ ?” Shepard straightened up and descended the rest of the steps until she was standing directly in front of him. At nearly a foot shorter than he was, she was nevertheless incredibly intimidating in her Spectre-issue armor with two guns strapped to her back.

“I’m, uh…” Garrus faltered. He held out his hand, “Garrus Vakarian.”

“I didn’t ask your name.” She folded her arms.

Nihlus stopped next to her and stared at Garrus for a long, hard second, nostrils flaring, but whatever he was thinking, he did a good job of hiding it.

“I’ve been building an investigation against Saren Arterius for the past few weeks,” Garrus said, attempting to find his footing again. “I was with Executor Pallin listening in on the meeting just now, I…”

“Do you have evidence against Saren?” Shepard asked.

“Well...nothing concrete. But I…”

“Then I don’t see how you can help us.”

Garrus felt a little prick of irritation. Would she have been this abrasive if he’d been a complete stranger or was she intentionally being rude to avoid him, knowing who he was now.

“Vakarian, huh? Your dad’s a big deal in C-Sec isn’t he?” Nihlus asked, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. Garrus eyed the hand uncertainly.

“Yes. If you’d let me show you what I have…”

“You just said you don’t have anything concrete,” Shepard interrupted.

“Come on, Freckles,” Nihlus slung his other arm around Shepard’s shoulder, drawing the three of them close together while the marine, Williams, shifted uncomfortably behind them. “Sounds like Garrus might be able to help us. We should at least hear him out.”

Garrus was struck by the bizarre coincidence that Nihlus seemed to refer to Shepard by the same name he’d chosen for her the night they met at the club.

Shepard’s eyes burned a hole through Nihlus. “This isn’t a fun game, Red.”

“I think it could be.” He let go of both of them and Shepard quickly took a step back.

“Fine. What have you got,  _ Garrus _ ?” 

Garrus drew up his omni-tool and began to speak as quickly as he could, afraid Shepard might change her mind and send him away. Now that he was in front of her, talking to her again, drinking in the sight of her, he wanted to stay near her as long as he possibly could, almost more than he wanted to help them gather incriminating evidence against Saren.

“Most of the evidence I have is rumors, second-hand accounts, nothing the Council will take seriously,” he explained. “Some krogan mercs claim he was smuggling weapons off of the Citadel with their help. Some others claim he illegally hacked vital Council records and downloaded the data. There’s no  _ proof _ that he’s done it though.  _ But _ I did receive a call from a friend who runs a clinic down in the wards. She said she has an injured quarian claiming to have an audio file that implicates Saren in a major crime. I planned on investigating it after the hearing, but I just assumed it was another dead end. I now think it might be real evidence of Saren’s involvement with Eden Prime.”

Nihlus’ mandibles flicked into a grin. “See, Freckles. He was worth hearing out, wasn’t he?”

Shepard sighed. “We should go and speak to this friend of yours. Ash,” she turned to face the marine, “you’re welcome to come with us. Anderson’s arriving on the Citadel tomorrow and will meet with you then, but until then…”

“I’d like to come along then.” She nodded. “After seeing everything that the geth did on Eden Prime...I want to see Saren brought to justice too.”

“Then let’s go.”

“If we head down to the C-Sec exchange there’s access to the rapid transit system and we could…” Garrus started.

Shepard gave him a withering look and pushed past him, walking a few yards away to the center of the room where a small terminal sat. The soldier, Ash, was close behind her, but Nihlus remained next to Garrus, clamping a hand on his shoulder once again.

“First recommendation with Freckles is to assume you know less than she does about most things,” he said. “We’ve been up to this tower a million times. There’s a Spectre-access shuttle system there where Freckles is interfacing with the terminal.”

“Oh.” Was all Garrus could manage.

He wondered if Nihlus  _ knew _ he had been with Shepard, and then realized he  _ must _ have known. His scent would have been all over her when she returned home.

Things were getting more and more awkward by the second.

“Come on, Garrus.” Nihlus walked him toward the terminal, hand still on his shoulder. “This is going to be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe I was very excited to get to the big reveal (for Garrus and Shepard anyway) "Oh shit, it's you!" I have to say thank you to all who've commented! It's lovely how many of you love Shep and Nihlus' relationship, I promise I'll find a way to fold Garrus in without upsetting the balance. Thank you for reading! More soon(ish)


	6. Butting Heads

To say that Shepard was startled by the sight of her one-night stand awaiting them outside the Council chambers would have been an understatement. When she heard his voice and looked up to find him there, she’d nearly fallen flat on her face in alarm. The chances of running into him at the club after noticing him at C-Sec headquarters were already monumentally low; how the hell had he shown up  _ again _ ? And with a vested interest in bringing down Saren.

She had specifically chosen a stranger so that she wouldn’t have to see him again and now she found herself more or less forced to work with him. She knew Nihlus was right, they couldn’t afford to turn down his help if he might have incriminating evidence against Saren, but she was less than enthused about the situation.

It didn’t help matters that Nihlus quite clearly  _ knew _ who this stupid, handsome C-sec officer was. Shepard’s sense of smell was not keen enough to tell one turian from another on scent alone, but Nihlus would have been able to figure it out the moment they got close enough.

_ Garrus Vakarian _ . She had steadfastly refused to learn his name when they parted ways and now the words were playing over and over in her brain and all she could think about was how good his tongue had felt between her legs.

The only course of action she could think of was one she already recognized was a losing battle: be abrasive and defensive to keep him at arm’s length. She had tried that one with Nihlus too, and look where that had gotten her.

The shuttle ride down to Kithoi ward where Garrus’ friend ran her clinic was uncomfortable for everyone except Nihlus. For as long as Shepard had know him, Nihlus had been a shameless flirt, comfortable with just about everyone regardless of race or gender. He had this obnoxious way of flirting that made you feel so good about yourself that you couldn’t even be mad he was doing it; rarely had he ever made her feel uncomfortable when their Spectre partnership first began, except to force her to evaluate her feelings for such an overbearing turian. 

As Shepard, Ash, Nihlus, and Garrus all sat together in the back of the shuttle, Nihlus sidled himself next to Garrus and began chatting animatedly with him. Shepard couldn’t decide if he was doing it just to rile her up, or if he genuinely found Garrus attractive, but either way it was irritating her. Jealousy wasn’t much of an emotion in a relationship like theirs, but she didn’t want Nihlus getting too comfortable with the young officer. As soon as they had the evidence, there was no reason for him to stick around.

“So, Garrus, how do you like working for C-sec?” Nihlus asked amiably, shifting so that there was very little space between them.

“It’s...hm.” Garrus cleared his throat and mulled over the question. “Well, the rules are a bit strict, but I’ve enjoyed working this case.”

Nihlus rolled his eyes. “Typical C-sec response. Diplomatic. How do you  _ really _ feel? I won’t tattle. Freckles and I hate being Spectres about fifty percent of the time, but it’s worth it for the freedom we’re allotted. Don’t you think, Freckles?”

“Sixty percent,” She responded tersely.

For a moment, she and Garrus locked eyes, but she quickly looked away.

Nihlus waved his hand dismissively and addressed Garrus again. “Anyway, you obviously don’t love the job, I could tell by your answer.”

“I wouldn’t mind something that allowed a little more...wiggle room in regards to methods.”

“Ever thought about applying for the Spectres?” 

“Oh, I was in a pool of turians being considered once, but...my father hates the Spectres and he pulled me out of it, got me this job in C-Sec.”

“Come on, Garrus. You’re a grown adult. Might be time to stop doing what your dad wants you to do.” Nihlus patted him on the back. 

“Could this shuttle go any faster?” Shepard demanded.

“You seem uncomfortable, Freckles.” Nihlus noted.

“Later on, I’m going to strangle you,” she replied calmly.

“ _ Freckles _ .” He bowed his head and lowered his eyelids with a sultry look, “You shouldn’t discuss these things in mixed company.”

“Did I...miss something?” Ash asked.

“ _ No. _ ” Shepard and Garrus both responded at the same time.

A few moments of awkward silence followed before Nihlus piped back in with more questions for Garrus.

“So, a handsome young officer like you must have someone to go home to, hm? Another turian, maybe, or an asari. It’s the Citadel, so I never make assumptions.” 

Garrus’ mandibles flared in embarrassment. “No, I’m...too busy with work for a relationship.”

Nihlus nodded with the faintest grin and then clapped his mandibles against his face. “Oh, we’re so rude. It’s sort of common knowledge amongst the Spectres, but you might not realize. Freckles and I are bonded.”

Shepard knew that Nihlus already knew damn well Garrus was aware of their relationship. Even if he hadn’t already noticed their bond marks, he surely smelled Nihlus all over her, completely coated in his scent.

“Oh, I...had noticed.” Was Garrus’ only response.

The shuttle mercifully touched down before Nihlus could say anything else, and Shepard hurried to open the door and slide out, immediately putting distance between herself and Garrus. Nihlus brushed past Ash and Garrus and stepped up beside her in two long, easy strides.

“Are you done?” She asked.

“I’m just having a little fun. He’s very cute. You picked well.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m glad you approve.”

“Could be fun to invite him over tonight, when this is all done.”

“Absolutely not.”

Nihlus snorted unhappily. “What are you so bent up about? You slept with him, it’s not a big deal. You’re being a little abrasive with him.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever see him again and now he’s here providing us with extremely important intel.”

“Well, you could be a little friendlier,” Nihlus suggested.

“Oh, what, and ask him his life story like you were in the shuttle?”

“Four years and  _ none _ of my pure romantic charm has rubbed off on you,” he huffed. “This is the biggest disappointment in our relationship by far.”

“Sometimes I really could kill you.”

Nihlus laughed, “Speaking of that, let’s revisit the strangling concept when we get back to the Callisto. Those tiny little hands of yours couldn’t do much but it might feel nice anyway.”

“Yeah, I’ll get the holocuffs out too.”

“Don’t tease me, Freckles,” he purred.

Shepard came to a halt and turned to face Garrus. “You need to lead the way. Take us to this clinic where your friend is.”

He looked slightly startled at being addressed directly. “Right. Follow me.” 

He took the lead, guiding them along the streets of Kithoi. Shepard was well acquainted with Kithoi and Zakera wards, more than any of the others, but that was thanks to the large criminal population the wards housed. She and Nihlus had, on more than one occasion, been forced to pursue a lead through the wards. Still, all of the wards were expansive, and she was unfamiliar with this area of Kithoi.

“What can you tell us about this friend of yours and her clinic?” Nihlus asked as they walked.

“Dr. Michel?” Garrus shrugged. “A lot of people in the wards can’t afford medical supplies. And...a lot of people are afraid to go to the hospital because they got injured in a gunfight or they’re reacting adversely to an illegal drug...too scared they’ll get turned in to C-Sec. Dr. Michel takes care of them and doesn’t ask questions.”

“Interesting for a C-Sec officer to be friends with a doctor like that.” Nihlus pointed out.

“I’m not interested in reining in a few low-level thugs. I’d rather see these people get the help they need. Besides, she’s patched me up more than a few times. I’d say she’s earned my respect.”

“Does she normally tip you off to leads like this? I’d imagine that would hurt her reputation amongst her client base.”

“She keeps things quiet, but yes, occasionally she’ll feed me intel if she thinks it’s vitally important.”

“So you trust her about this quarian then?” Nihlus asked.

“Of course I do. Can I ask why you’re so concerned?”

“Just rooting out all the details. That’s what Spectres do. Isn’t that right, Freckles?”

“We’ll figure out all the details when we get to the clinic and meet this quarian. No sense in wasting time until then. How far is this clinic exactly?” Shepard snapped.

“A few more blocks.”

They walked on in stony silence. Shepard couldn’t say  _ why _ she was acting so prickly and defensive around Garrus. She had no reason to be so short with him. Sure, they’d slept together, but turians were incredibly relaxed about sex; they slept with other military officers when they served, with coworkers on the security force, what was a one-night stand between these two people now working together?

Of course, it wasn’t so simple for Shepard. As ‘turian’ as she may have been after four years with Nihlus, she was still very much a human first and foremost. Garrus had been a fun experiment; just a test to see what another turian would be like. She hadn’t quite anticipated the  _ mind blowing _ sex that would follow, but she had resolved herself once she returned home to Nihlus that she wouldn’t seek out another turian again.  _ Maybe _ , they would bring some into the bedroom together, but she had spent too much of the night with Garrus comparing him to Nihlus.

And now he was here, inexplicably and despite all odds, back in front of her.

And he was still so fucking handsome. And all she could think about were the multiple orgasms he’d given her barely a week earlier.

She hated herself a little bit, but when Nihlus had suggested inviting him back to the hotel with them, the idea had been  _ more _ than appealing. Which was why she was absolutely not going to go through with it.

“Here we are.”

Garrus jarred Shepard from her thoughts as he brought the group to a halt in front of a small, run-down little clinic tucked away in the far end of a market in a particularly unsavory part of the ward. He moved to open the door and Nihlus quickly grabbed his wrist to stop him. Garrus immediately tensed up.

“Stop. Listen.” Nihlus pressed a single finger to his mouth.

Shepard had heard it too, a split second before Nihlus grabbed Garrus’ wrist. There was a struggle ensuing inside. Someone was threatening the doctor.

“Tell us where the quarian is and you won’t get hurt.” A distinctly turian voice said.

“I don’t...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Saren knows about the quarian, doc, and he’s not going to be too happy if we don’t bring her back to him. You better start talking, or we start taking pieces of  _ you _ back to Saren instead.”

“We should move in quietly and…” Nihlus started.

“You get those biotics ready, Red.” Shepard, in her typical approach to situations, slammed her fist on the button to open the door and stepped inside with her gun raised. She heard Nihlus groan and run in behind her, Garrus and Ash following closely.

In the corner of the small clinic, two turians held a petite woman in a lab coat against the ground. One of the turians was on top of her, holding her hands down while the other held an omni-blade against her throat. A krogan and an asari stood by for support on either side.

When Shepard burst in, all eyes were on her. Saren’s men raised their guns, and behind her, Garrus and Ash raised theirs as well.

“It’s the Spectres.” The turian with the blade spoke. “Saren said to expect you.”

“Let the doctor go,” Shepard spoke calmly.

“What, because you’ve got a big gun?” He stood up while his companion remained on top of the doctor.

Shepard was intimately familiar with the sheer weight of a turian, and she could see in the reddening hue of the doctor’s face that the turian on top of her was crushing her ribs where he sat on her chest. Even though this turian had no weapons drawn, he was easily the most dangerous if they didn’t diffuse the situation quickly.

“How much is Saren paying you to be here? Not enough to make it worth your life, I’ll bet,” Nihlus said. “You’re up against two highly-trained Spectres, a C-Sec officer, and an Alliance marine. That’s a pretty big bet to take.”

“If we leave without the info, Saren will kill us anyway,” the asari said. “So you can forget about talking us down.”

Without warning, a shot fired from behind Shepard and pierced through the skull of the turian seated atop Dr. Michel’s chest. His blood sprayed out all over the doctor’s face as he slumped off of her to the side. The asari fired her gun immediately in retaliation and then the clinic erupted into a hail of gunfire.

Nihlus’ biotics flared to life and he sent the asari flying against the wall while Ash and Shepard focused on the krogan and Garrus took down the remaining turian. But a fully grown krogan was a lot more to handle than a turian or an asari. He brushed past Ash, knocking her into the wall and charging on Shepard. She fired off as many shots as her thermal clip would allow, breaking through his shields and piercing his hide, though the shots seemed to do barely any damage.

Too close for anything but a direct attack, Shepard dropped her gun and readied her omni-blade, but suddenly, to her surprise, a streak of blue armor passed in front of her, colliding with the krogan, who in turn collided with Shepard. The three of them went rolling across the floor and suddenly she found herself pinned beneath the weight of a krogan  _ and _ a turian, with almost no ability to breathe.

Garrus struggled with the krogan and slammed his own omni-blade up into his opponent’s skull, finally rendering him immobile, and spraying blood everywhere. With a great effort, he heaved the krogan off of them and slumped back down onto the floor next to Shepard, panting and covered in blood.

A blind rage struck Shepard then, and she was barely aware of what she was doing until she was on top of Garrus and pounding her fists into the hard plating of his face. The action seemed to do little damage to him, though it was quickly bloodying her knuckles.

“What the fuck were you thinking? What kind of fucking idiot turian are you?”

“Stop! Hey!” He tried to grab her wrists but she dodged and slammed her head against his. The impact left her dizzy, but she rounded to assault him again when something gripped her tightly from behind and pulled her, kicking and writhing, off of him.

“Let me go!”

“Enough! You need to calm down,” Nihlus growled.

“He could have gotten us all killed! Did nobody ever teach you how to handle a situation?” She yelled while Garrus righted himself and flexed his pummeled mandibles experimentally.

“I think what you meant to say was, ‘Thanks, Garrus, for taking care of the turian that almost killed Dr. Michel, and also thanks for killing the krogan that was going to kill me’!”

“Thanks!? You think you deserve a thanks for what you did?” Shepard balked. “No one gave you the order to shoot, but you did it anyway. What if they had shot the doctor in retaliation? None of us were prepared to take cover. I could have talked them down, but you decided to take things into your own hands.”

“Well it got us results, didn’t it?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Who has more experience? Two Spectres with more than 13 cumulative years of experience or a green-behind-the-ears idiot C-Sec officer?”

“No offense, but why don’t you both shut up? The doctor is injured and we have a mission to focus on!” Ash surprised them both when she spoke up from her spot at the doctor’s side.

It was true, Dr. Michel looked like she was in pain; likely one or more of her ribs had cracked while the turians had been interrogating her. She was also covered in blue blood that had spattered across her face and the pristine white lab coat she wore. She let Ash help her into a seated position, wincing as she moved.

Garrus gave Shepard a sour look and then turned his attention to the doctor, kneeling down at her side.

“Chloe. I’m sorry. Are you all right?” 

“I’ll be okay. Thank you for helping me, Garrus. Who are your friends?”

“You can let go of me now, Red,” Shepard hissed.

He let go, though he was clearly reluctant to do so, and she moved to stand on the other side of the doctor, opposite Garrus.

“These are Council Spectres. They’re helping me with my investigation into Saren,” Garrus explained. He cleared his throat and avoided looking directly at Shepard. “Nihlus, Shepard, this is Chloe Michel.” He addressed the doctor once more, “I told them about the quarian. Is she still here?”

Dr. Michel shook her head. “When Saren’s men showed up, I told her to run. It’s hard for a quarian to go anywhere around this ward without sticking out like a sore thumb, but if she went down to the markets, she’d have the best chance of blending in with the crowd. She might be there.”

“We should go. I doubt Saren only sent four people to deal with this situation, and if he’s this worried, the data she has must be good,” Nihlus said. 

“Will you be okay, Chloe?” Garrus asked.

“I’ll be fine, thank you, Garrus. Not much to be done for a few cracked ribs. What about your friend?” Dr. Michel stepped forward and grabbed Shepard’s hands. “Your knuckles are bleeding. Here.” She grabbed a rag and gently wiped Shepard’s hands clean, applying some medi-gel and then bandaging the knuckles.

“Thanks,” Shepard said, somewhat begrudgingly. She was still extremely irritated with Garrus for his foolish and impulsive behavior, but there were more important tasks at hand; she couldn’t allow her anger to cloud her judgment any further.

“Let’s go,” Garrus suggested. “If we wait too long, we risk losing the quarian to Saren’s men. Thank you for your help, Chloe.”

“No, thank you. Thank you to all of you. You saved my life.”

They left the doctor to tend to her wounds and exited the clinic back out into the streets. Garrus led the way to the markets without so much as a word to the rest of them. Nihlus held Shepard back as they walked, putting enough distance between them to provide room for a private discussion.

“What the hell was that back there, Shepard?”

She bristled. “He made a stupid decision.”

“So what? You attack him? What’s your problem? You fucked each other, it’s not the end of the world. You need to get your head on straight so we can find this data.”

“Is this about me? Or is this about your issues with what Saren did? Because I’d rather you didn’t conflate the two,” Shepard growled.

“Okay. We’re not having this conversation right now. We can have a shouting match back on the Callisto later if you want to use Saren to deflect from your own issues, but don’t put it on me. Whatever got up your ass about Garrus, you need to get over it. He’s trying to help us. Yes, he shouldn’t have taken the shot back in the clinic, but we figured it out. Move on. Or fuck him again. I don’t care, but just figure it out, Shepard. We have a job to do.”

He brushed past her to join Garrus without another word. She was more irritated than she probably should have been, and she knew she shouldn’t have brought up Saren the way she had. Nihlus was right, she needed to get over it and focus on the task at hand. Despite years in the Alliance and as a Spectre though, she still had her moments where petulant defiance wanted to win out over common sense. They were most frequent with Nihlus, but she didn’t want to have another argument. When they got back to the Callisto, she would concede that he was right, because if she had learned one thing in her time with him, communication and honesty were crucial to a healthy relationship, and part of that entailed a little bit of humility now and then.

The markets weren’t far from the clinic, and the doctor had been right that it was probably the best place for a quarian to blend in. A handful of them stood together waiting in line to purchase tech upgrades at a stall near the front of the expansive, sprawling market, but they all seemed to be men, as far as Shepard could tell. 

Compared to the Presidium, the market was a bit ramshackle: booths and stalls laid out in no exact order, with curmudgeonly shopkeepers selling goods at half the cost they would go for on the Presidium. Every race seemed to be represented in the market; a volus argued with a turian over the price of a helmet, two asari gossiped while sipping coffee in front of a booth selling all sorts of drinks, a krogan pushed past, parting the crowd as he made his way down the street.

“Do we know anything about what this quarian looks like?” Ash asked.

“Not really.” Garrus shrugged. “Chloe said she was young, but I don’t know how you tell by just looking.”

“How about her?” Nihlus had been scanning the crowd as they spoke. He was significantly taller than Shepard, and whatever he could see, she was too short to see over the heads of other turians and krogan passing through the market.

Garrus followed Nihlus’ gaze and nodded. “Seems a little out of place.”

“What?” Shepard stood on her toes. “I can’t see!”

“There’s a quarian standing on the edge of the side street up ahead,” Nihlus explained. “She keeps checking her omni-tool and looking around. If we see her, then someone else could notice her too, which means if Saren’s men are here, they…”

“There are two turians headed toward her. We need to move.” Garrus rushed forward and Nihlus ran after him, Ash and Shepard struggling to keep up with their comparably shorter strides.

It was difficult to push through the throngs of people toward the side street where the quarian supposedly was, but the process was a bit easier with two large turians paving the way. They emerged from the crowd in front of the quarian at the same time the other turians did, undoubtedly Saren’s men. For all the poor quarian knew, they were all working for Saren, so it shouldn’t have surprised any of them when she turned tail and ran down the side street away from both of them.

Nihlus and Garrus gave chase, as did Saren’s men, twisting through more streets, racing against the other turians. One of them slammed into Nihlus and they went toppling to the ground, but Nihlus only yelled for Garrus to keep going before gripping his attacker’s mandibles and pulling as hard as he could. The other turian responded by dragging his unfiled talons down the side of Nihlus’ neck, drawing blood in his wake.

Ash continued after Garrus, but Shepard couldn’t leave Nihlus to fend off the turian on his own, even though she knew he was capable. She launched herself onto Saren’s hired hand with her omni-blade drawn, dragging it across his facial plates and leaving a glowing red mark as she did. With a low growl, the turian turned away from Nihlus and slammed himself backward into the wall of a nearby building, dazing Shepard and causing her to let go of him. A moment later, his hand was around her neck, cutting off her circulating.

“Let go of her you piece of shit!” Nihlus ran forward, pulling hard on the other turian’s fringe and slicing his own omni-blade across the turian’s neck. His blood sprayed out violently, covering Shepard’s face, but the blow was fatal. His hand fell free from her neck as he slumped to the ground.

Sputtering and rubbing blood free from her eyes, Shepard wasted no time in thanking Nihlus, nor did he thank her. They both knew the task at hand was far too important. Both of them ran in the direction Garrus, Ash, and Saren’s other man had run, turning the corner to find the quarian backed into an alley, and Saren’s man dead on the ground.

The quarian had a gun drawn, arms shaking as she pointed it at Garrus and Ash, who in turn had their hands raised in surrender.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Garrus assured her. “I’m with Citadel Security. We’re trying to help you.”

“Why should I believe you?” She cried. “Saren’s sent too many men after me already.”

“Well, we did kill his men, so that should help.” Shepard pushed past Garrus to face the quarian. She must have looked frightening, stained in blue blood, her hair partially matted against her head.

The quarian’s bright eyes glowed behind the tint of her helmet mask. They widened slightly at Shepard’s approach, but her hold on her gun faltered. “Who are you?”

“I’m Jane Shepard. This is Nihlus Kryik. We’re Spectres. We were on Eden Prime when Saren attacked and we’re trying to prove his guilt to the Council.” Shepard stood stock still in front of the quarian. “We don’t want to hurt you. I know you’re probably really scared right now, but I need you to trust us. What’s your name?”

The quarian glanced past Shepard and the others to the dead turian behind them, then turned her gaze to Shepard. “Tali’Zorah nar Raya.” She looked at Nihlus, then Garrus, then Ash. “Just Tali, if you want.”

“Ok, Tali. Are you willing to come with back to the human embassy with us and show your data to the ambassador?” Shepard asked slowly.

Tali hesitated for a moment, then lowered her gun. “If you’re really trying to get Saren, then I want to help you. It’s not like I could fight my way past the four of you anyway, so I hope you’re being honest.”

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. “We are. And we’re going to keep you safe, I promise.” She turned to Nihlus. “We need to get a shuttle down here right now. I don’t want to risk moving her with more of Saren’s men around.”

He nodded in silent agreement and tapped on his omni-tool to summon a shuttle. “ETA five minutes.”

“Who are they?” Tali nodded to Ash and Garrus.

“Garrus is a C-Sec officer. He’s been investigating Saren for a few weeks now. Ash is an Alliance marine who was stationed on Eden Prime during the attack,” Shepard explained.

“So you all have a stake in this. Good. I want to help.”

As they waited for the shuttle to arrive, Garrus started drilling Tali with questions. How had she come across the data? What was the nature of the information? Could she prove it wasn’t fabricated? She answered his first question: she had intercepted a comm exchange while scanning the comm system for data on the geth, but refused to answer any other questions until they were in the safety of the embassy. Garrus couldn’t leave well enough alone, though, and started spouting off more questions as they came to mind.

“That’s enough,” Shepard interrupted. “Give her some space.”

“But I…”

“I said, enough.”

Garrus bristled, but said nothing. Then the shuttle arrived, and they all piled in, headed back to the Presidium to present the data to Udina, data that would hopefully prove Saren’s guilt and put an end to this mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's being a LITTLE RUDE to Garrus but we always have Nihlus to bridge the divide. I am excited to finally have Tali in the mix and to dive into the relationships here a bit more. Once we leave the Citadel we'll start to diverge from canon quite a bit so hopefully you guys will enjoy that. Thanks so much for reading and for all your lovely comments. More soon!


	7. The More the Merrier

Garrus didn’t care to use the word ‘bitch’, but Shepard was certainly being a real asshole. Maybe it was foolish and naive to consider her so turian when they’d first met; perhaps her behavior stemmed from discomfort over their previous encounter, but he didn’t think he particularly deserved the vitriol she was dishing out to him, nor had he deserved the pummeling that had left him unscathed and her knuckles bloodied. 

Had he been impulsive? Sure, but it had gotten them results. And while he could accept why she was irritated with his behavior, and respect her authority as a Spectre, she wasn’t in charge of him and he didn’t have to answer to her, so her insistence on ordering him around was getting on his last nerve.

He considered all this as they sat in the shuttle, making their way up to the embassy offices on the Presidium, watching her as she sat with her arms folded and eyebrows furrowed, completely silent. Her face and hair were covered in turian blood, most of which had dried and was flaking off in tiny pieces. 

Mingling with his annoyance, annoyance that was quickly devolving into anger, was a more primal and even more irritating feeling: arousal. Garrus would have liked to resolve the tension between them with the turian tradition of sparring, going hand to hand, skin on skin, blood pumping until one of them pinned the other down and finished the fight the right way. It was troubling how vividly he could imagine it; she was strong, but tiny compared to him, and he was pretty confident he could win. And when he did, she would  _ beg _ for him to be inside of her.

He shook the thought from his head and tried to think about something else as he felt his lower plates shifting. But she had been so soft and so tight and  _ so _ wet when they were together; completely different from a turian, and something he wanted to experience again.

Did she feel the same? Was that why she was being so callous and irritable with him? It was nice to think so, but he had a hard time reading humans, and he disliked beating around the bush with such passive aggressive behavior.

And then there was Nihlus. Almost certainly, the Spectre had been flirting with him on the shuttle ride down to Kithoi. He had repeatedly, and without much cause, found reason to touch his arm or his shoulder. Not that Garrus minded, necessarily, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a show to irritate Shepard, because it certainly succeeded in that task. Nihlus knew who he was, undoubtedly; would have picked up his scent on Shepard as soon as she returned to him after their little tryst. He was handsome, and it had been a long time since Garrus had been with another man, but it all seemed like a trek through murky water to give in to either temptation. 

Once they had presented the data, he would be done with them and forget about it, maybe go down to a bar with Chellick and find a different human to explore with, and that would be that.

The shuttle arrived at the embassies and the group disembarked, Shepard and Nihlus surrounding the quarian, Tali, to keep her safe from any further potential assault. Garrus hung back behind them next to Ash, who he wasn’t quite sure what to make of. She had been quiet for most of the time they’d been together; he’d only really heard her when she’d yelled at Shepard and him for arguing in the clinic. She seemed like a typical Alliance soldier in most respects: tough as nails and uncompromising. Beyond that, he had no firm opinions on her.

Tali, too, he was uncertain about. She  _ did _ seem young, as Chloe had said, and frightened, though he couldn’t blame her for that. He just hoped her data proved useful after all they had gone through to find her, and all she had gone through to protect it.

Udina was in his office when they arrived, seated at his desk arguing with someone on the phone. When they entered, his face soured even more than the typical expression he wore.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded. He observed Shepard, her face stained blue, and pursed his lips. “And what happened to you?”

“We got a tip that this quarian had data that implicates Saren in the attack on Eden Prime,” Shepard explained.

Udina, for the first time in all the times Garrus had interacted with him, looked almost  _ happy _ , or as happy as he was capable of being. He leaned forward and his eyes flitted to the quarian.

“What kind of data?”

“Go ahead.” Nihlus nodded. “Show him, Tali.”

The quarian stepped forward timidly and brought up her omni-tool. “I intercepted this comm on a channel I thought was unused. I was searching comm channels for geth chatter. There are millions of channels and they sometimes find unused ones deep within the network to communicate. Instead, I heard a turian voice. I had been recording in case I came across anything useful,” she explained.

“So play it!” Udina barked.

“Hey!” Shepard stepped in front of Tali. “She doesn’t have to help us at all. Back off, Udina!”

“I liked you better when you had to listen to orders once in awhile,” Udina replied bitterly.

Shepard ignored him. “Go ahead, Tali.” 

Tali tapped on her omni-tool and the audio recording began to play. Garrus listened with rapt attention.

“Eden Prime was a major victory, despite the resistance we encountered.” The voice was undeniably that of Saren Arterius.

“It would have been wise to give chase.” A woman’s voice responded. “The Spectres won’t drop this easily now that they’ve seen you. Especially Kryik.”

“They’re of no major concern. The Council won’t believe them without evidence,” Saren said. “A gunshot wound doesn’t prove I shot Nihlus.” At this, Garrus noticed Nihlus inhale sharply and look away from Tali’s omni-tool.

Much of his research into Saren had brought up information on Nihlus as well, and it was a well-established rumor on the Citadel that Saren and Nihlus were more than just mentor and mentee. While nothing Garrus had uncovered pointed to any definitive proof, he’d come to realize it was very likely that Nihlus had been in a serious relationship with Saren, prior to Saren severing all ties and requesting a relocation. If that much were true, it couldn’t have been easy for Nihlus to deal with all that was happening now.

“That was all I recorded. The transmission cut out after that,” Tali explained. “I think he was likely using a program that jumps comm channels to keep from being monitored. It was just dumb luck, really.”

“This is the exact proof we need.” Udina stood up. “We need to take this to the Council immediately.”

“For once, I agree with you,” Shepard said. “Tali is in danger as long as she’s the only one with this data. We need to to present it to the Council so they can strip Saren of his status and end this.”

“I still wonder  _ what _ he wanted with the Prothean artifact,” Nihlus pondered aloud.

“That hardly matters. What matters is we have  _ proof _ that he was behind the attack on Eden Prime. Perhaps this will get the Council to move on retaliation.”

Nihlus shook his head. “The Council will never take that grand of an action for damage to a human colony. As long as humans aren’t a Council race, they won’t be deserving of Council resources. Trust me, I’ve worked with the Councilors for long enough to know how their tiny little brains work.”

“We can find out when we get there,” Shepard interrupted. “Let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste.”

So they left the embassies and made their way across the Presidium to the elevator leading up to the Citadel Tower. The ascent seemed to take forever, and again Garrus found his mind wandering to Shepard, his irritation mingling with attraction. It was so completely turian of him, a self-professed ‘bad turian’, but now that he knew who Shepard was: a Spectre and a well-respected Alliance marine, he was even more aroused by the thought of her. It had been obvious during their short time together before that she was a soldier, her body hardened by battle and rigorous exercise regimens, and that had been attractive enough without the status and freedom of a Spectre behind her.

Besides, he liked the idea of someone that strong and powerful wanting him badly enough to beg. It was almost sick how he couldn’t shake the thought from his mind but all he could imagine was bending her over his desk at C-sec headquarters and plunging into her over and over until she screamed his name. Why was he so singularly obsessed with fucking her again? 

He was jarred from the fantasy by the dinging of the elevator doors as they reached the top of the Presidium. His pelvic plates had shifted again and he tried to think about anything to keep himself from sliding from his sheath. He’d never been so distracted on a case in his life; he felt like an idiotic hormonal teenager again.

And the thought of Nihlus continued to flutter in the back of his mind as well.

What about both of them?  _ That  _ was more appealing than he would have liked to admit.

He resolved himself to a night out with Chellick later and followed the group up to the Council chambers. It took some time for the Councilors to arrive, considering how sudden and unscheduled the meeting was, and they were suitably irritable when they did finally show up.

“Kryik. Shepard. This had better be worth an emergency meeting,” Sparatus said by way of greeting. “I won’t sit here listening to some witch hunt because you were scorned by an ex. The Council has no business becoming involved with…”

“We have definitive proof Saren was involved with Eden Prime.” Shepard cut them off.

“If that is true, then by all means, show us,” Tevos said.

Tali played the audio file while everyone in the chamber remained silent, listening to Saren unknowingly admit his guilt. Sparatus looked annoyed by the audio, but Tevos and Valern seemed appropriately concerned. When the file finished playing, Valern was the first to speak.

“Could we please have a copy of the data to verify it hasn’t been tampered with?”

Tali duplicated the file and sent it through her omni-tool. Valern tapped on the terminal in front of him, his eyes flitting across the screen, then turned to Tevos and Sparatus and nodded.

“The data is genuine. This is Saren Arterius.”

“I recognize the other voice as well,” Tevos admitted. “It belongs to Matriarch Benezia T’soni. To be completely honest, I’m shocked to hear the matriarch on this recording. It appears she’s working with Saren toward whatever goal he hoped to reach through the attack on Eden Prime.”

“Who is she?” Udina asked.

“A well respected asari matriarch with a loyal following. I would not imagine such a thing of her, but...the proof is irrefutable. Very well, Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status effective immediately. I imagine we won’t be able to reach him now, but if we can determine his location he will be apprehended.” 

Udina clenched his fists. “That’s not good enough. Someone needs to go after him now! And we deserve protection for our colonies.”

“Human colonies are the responsibility of the humans, not the Council,” Sparatus argued.

Tevos held a hand up. “I agree with Councilor Sparatus. You must protect your colonies as you see fit. One rogue Spectre does not demand the protection of an entire Citadel fleet. However, I do have a suggestion that may benefit the search for Saren while assisting our own needs.

“Matriarch Benezia has a daughter: Dr. Liara T’soni. She’s a professor of Prothean history at the University of Serrice. It is my understanding that she’s been estranged from her mother for some time, but perhaps the source of that estrangement could explain Benezia’s decision to work with Saren. We were going to request her service in understanding the Prothena tech Kryik and Shepard recovered from Eden Prime.”

“You’re suggesting she come to the Citadel and help with both problems?” Shepard asked.

Tevos shook her head, “Considering what this data has uncovered, it would be unwise to ask her to come unassisted. If Saren’s goal was to obtain the tech,  _ and _ he’s working with Benezia, then his sights may already be set on Dr. T’soni. If the other Councilors will agree, I would like to assign you and Kryik the task of extracting her from Serrice and delivering her to the Citadel.”

“I’m not interested in continuing a wild pyjak chase for Saren,” Nihlus growled.

“I don’t believe you have a choice in your assignments, Kryik,” Sparatus reminded him.

Shepard shrugged. “So you want us to go to Serrice and convince this Dr. T’soni to return with us. Fine. Compared to the shit that went down on Eden Prime, I can handle that.”

“Fine,” Nihlus agreed begrudgingly.

“C-Sec. You’re involved in this investigation, are you not?” Tevos addressed Garrus. He was startled at being spoken to directly by a Councilor, and for a moment he was lost for words.

“Yes. I had been gathering evidence for the past week.”

“Perhaps it would be prudent for you to join the Spectres on this task then. If more information turns up on Saren, it would be useful to have an officer directly involved. Spectres are skilled at their jobs, but they are  _ not  _ detectives.”

Shepard looked completely stricken, and Garrus himself was surprised the Councilor had even considered it, but it was obvious it was a command and not a suggestion. He couldn’t say what the Councilor truly hoped to achieve by forcing him along on the task.

“Maybe one of my colleagues would be better suited to that role…” Garrus attempted to remove himself from the potential awkwardness that would ensue from weeks aboard a ship with Shepard and Nihlus.

Tevos shook her head. “You were the officer assigned to this case. You know the most about Saren and what to look for in terms of additional evidence. You’ll join them until we reach a resolution or a dead end.” She turned her attention to the Spectres. “Keep in contact as you come across new information. We anxiously await Dr. T’soni’s arrival.”

With that, the Councilors dismissed themselves. Shepard was doing a poor job of hiding her annoyance, her lips pursed tightly together and her arms folded across her chest.

“Well fine. Let’s not waste any time.” She turned to Garrus with a glare. “Get whatever you need and meet us at the docks in Zakera in two hours.”

“This should be fun,” Nihlus laughed, without a hint of insincerity.

“Excuse me,” Tali spoke up.

“Yes?” They all turned to face her.

“I know...I know that Spectre missions are classified and I know I’m not military or anything like that. But I know my way around tech and I know how to disable a geth from a hundred yards out. Ever since I found this data, I knew I had to do the right thing and turn it in to the Council. Saren’s people have been hunting me since I landed on the Citadel. I want to come with you and see him brought down.”

“Oh.” Nihlus and Shepard exchanged a glance. “Are you sure?” He asked.

“I’m on my pilgrimage right now. I can’t return to my people without a suitable gift. I know traveling with you would give me the opportunity to bring back a gift like no other quarian could. And...now that I’m out in the galaxy away from the flotilla...I want to see what it has to offer. Please, I understand if you say no, but I promise I could be helpful. I won’t just be dead weight. Let me come with you and help you bring Saren in for the sentencing he deserves.”

Shepard nodded, her face softening slightly. “Okay.”

“Really?” Tali’s eyes lit up behind her mask.

“Really. But stay with us. Saren won’t know we’ve delivered the data yet and I don’t think you’re safe on your own. I can take you to the shops if there’s anything we need before we go.”

“Oh...thank you  _ so much _ . I promise you won’t regret this.”

Shepard patted her shoulder. “I know I won’t.” She turned to Garrus, her face hardening again. “Two. Hours.”

She led Tali away, Ash close behind, and Udina followed them back to the elevator, muttering under his breath about the Council. Nihlus, however, stayed behind.

“I’m sorry for how Shepard’s behaving,” he said once it was just the two of them.

“Oh, it’s…” Garrus couldn’t think of a suitable excuse for her behavior. It  _ wasn’t _ fine, it was incredibly irritating. “Well, it’s not your fault anyway.”

Nihlus put his hand on Garrus’ shoulder, his mandibles twitching. “If either of us make you uncomfortable on the ship, speak your mind. There’s a bunk room you’ll share with the quarian, but if you want to spend the whole time avoiding Shepard, you can. There’s plenty of space to do so.”

“Thanks. I think I’ll be all right. I’ll...let you know if I’m uncomfortable.” A more appropriate course of action would probably have been for Garrus to remove himself entirely from direct contact with Nihlus, but he found he didn’t really want to.

Nihlus surprised him then, with a gentle stroke of the talon across his mandible. “Good. I think you’ll like the Callisto, Garrus. See you in a few hours.”

And then he left to join Shepard, and Garrus found himself standing alone in the Council chambers feeling confused, and ever so slightly aroused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nihlus is a big fat flirt and Garrus likes it :P
> 
> Thanks to all who've been reading and for all the lovely comments. I'm glad people are enjoying the story! I've got a lot more planned!


	8. All Aboard

Rather than have a long-winded conversation with Nihlus where Shepard spent several agonizing minutes apologizing for her behavior before they launched into a full-scale discussion about Garrus’ presence aboard the Callisto, she opted to head straight for the showers and clean the turian blood from her face and hair and try to think about anything besides Garrus fucking Vakarian.

How had it come to this? How had she wound up working with him, let alone in this new situation where the Councilors had forced him onto the Callisto to monitor the situation with Saren. It was bullshit of the highest order, and what made her the angriest was that the entire shuttle ride up to the embassies, despite her annoyance with the brash young turian, all she could think about was him bending her over and fucking the life out of her.

The situation was dire.

Thinking about it again just made her angry. Where did he get off acting like he did? He had no respect for any protocol or superior ranking. He was a hot-headed idiot. A hot-headed idiot with the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen, with a tongue that could do things she no longer had to imagine, but could recall vividly.

She was more than a little ashamed when her hand wandered between her legs in the shower. At first, she had tried to push the thoughts away, but eventually she gave up the fight, sliding her fingers inside of her, running them across her clit while she thought about Garrus pounding into her.

The orgasm was less satisfying than she would have liked, in fact, she felt even more wound up than she had before. The solution was unappealing, though Nihlus himself had suggested it, ‘just fuck him again’. 

Of course, the ideal suggestion was Nihlus’ proposal to invite Garrus into their bedroom: also ultimately unappealing. It would have been better if Garrus had just disappeared from the face of the galaxy so she never had to see him again.

When she left the shower, she toweled herself dry and dressed and exited the bathroom to find Garrus standing in the rec room with Nihlus. This caused a flare of unwelcome irritation, though she tried to swallow it and be at least neutral in her approach to the younger turian.

“Oh. Hello,” was all she managed.

“Hello,” he replied stiffly. “Nihlus was just showing me the ship.”

“Maybe you could show him the bunkroom,” Nihlus suggested, his brow plates shifting. She would have preferred to do anything else, but she knew Nihlus wouldn’t drop it. He confirmed as much when he patted Garrus’ shoulder and said, “I need to go look over some files. Shepard will take it from here.” He disappeared back into their room and left Shepard alone with Garrus.

“Well come on, I guess. The bunk room is back here.” She swept past him, but he caught up to her easily, following her to the other side of the ship and into the bunk room that had once been her room.

There were six bunks in total, lined against the far wall, with storage space on the other wall for clothing.

“Tali already claimed the bunk on the end there, but you can take any of the others.” Shepard stood with her arms folded. “She’s upstairs meeting the crew if you want to…”

Garrus dropped his bag on the nearest bunk and turned to face her. “Can we just have a conversation for a minute? You’re being an ass.”

She opened and closed her mouth several times before she spoke. “Excuse me?”

“Cut the bullshit,” he growled. “You’re being unnecessarily mean to me. Why? Because we had sex? So what?”

“Maybe at first,” she conceded. “But you were acting like an idiot back there! You could have gotten someone killed. You can’t just charge through any situation just because you want to, you-”

“What? Only you can do that? You burst into the clinic without any warning. That could have been enough reason for those men to kill Dr. Michel. You don’t get to act like you’re above the rules but I’m not just because you’re a Spectre. I’m not going to spend Spirits know how long on this ship while you treat me like shit. We resolve this now.”

Shepard took a moment to calm the anger welling up in her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and spoke when she opened them again. “Fine. I’m sorry I was being...a bit abrasive. If we’re going to be working together, then we should try to get along.”

“Thank you. I’ll...try to defer to your experience in future situations.”

“Thank you.” She repeated his sentiment.

They stood in front of each other, a palpable tension still between them. She had hoped addressing the elephant in the room would have solved the problem, but the problem was obviously much larger than just acknowledging they had slept together.

His eyes were rapidly scanning her face, darting to her lips far too often. She tried to think about anything else, even to will herself to move away from him, but she just couldn’t. Her heart was racing and the only thought running through her mind was her inability to resolve the issue she’d tried to address in the shower.

Quite suddenly, he had pinned her against the wall and crushed his rigid lips against hers, wasting no time as his tongue quickly snaked into her mouth. Whatever interest she’d had in removing herself from the situation dissipated completely. She leaned into the kiss eagerly, clawing down the length of the plating on the back of his neck, savoring the pressure of his body as he ground his hips against hers. One of his hands gripped at her leg, drawing it to his side, his talons dimpling into the fabric of her pants.

Her head spun as his mouth moved to her neck, his tongue dragging across her skin. She wanted nothing more than to remove the suffocating layer of clothing between them and have him pin her against the wall and fuck her senseless, so it came as a great disappoint when, as abruptly as the interaction had begun, he let go of her and took a step back, his breath coming heavy as he stared at her.

“What…?” She gasped, leaning into the wall for support.

“I’m...we should, uh…” His mandibles twitched. “I think if we’re going to work together...with Nihlus and…” He sounded uncertain of his own goals even as he tried to outline them. “Maybe we should just keep things professional.”

She knew he was right, but her heartbeat throbbing between her legs begged to differ. Still, she conceded with a weak nod.

“Yeah. You’re...you’re probably right.” She stood up straight. “I’m sorry I was such an ass. If we’re going to work together, I’ll try harder to be friendly.”

“Me too.” He nodded.

“I’m...going to leave before…”

“Yeah.”

She exited the bunk room and immediately headed for her bedroom. Inside, Nihlus lay with his back against the headboard, completely naked, legs stretched out before him while he reviewed a datapad. He didn’t even glance up at Shepard’s arrival.

“That was fast,” he said.

“Nothing happened. He said he wants to keep things ‘professional’.” She crossed the room and stood tentatively at her side of the bed.

“Hm,” was Nihlus’ only reply.

Shepard sat down on the bed and curled against him. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He still didn’t look at her.

“For acting the way I did. For bringing up Saren like that. You were right. I was hung up on my issues with Garrus and I let it get in the way of our work. It won’t happen again.”

He finally set his datapad on his end table and turned to face her, cupping her cheek with a gentle touch. “I doubt that, but I appreciate your apology all the same.”

“You doubt it, huh?”

“Close quarters for who knows how long. Garrus can claim he wants to keep things professional, but I doubt it will last. You know what would be fun?”

She groaned. “Oh God, what, Red?” 

“See who can get him to break first.” Nihlus’ mandibles flicked into a grin.

“Oh what a great way to make him totally uncomfortable aboard our ship.”

“Uncomfortable? No. I’ve seen how he looks at you. Besides, I can smell him on you, which means he wasn’t exactly keeping things professional before he made that decision, was he?” His brow plates shifted. “And he seems curious about me. It could be fun. C’mon, Freckles, I never made you uncomfortable before we started sleeping together, did I?”

“No, but I did think you were obnoxious.”

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her. “Jokes on you because now you’re stuck with me forever.”

“You’re truly unbearable.” She feigned upset, attempting to shove his head away as he assaulted her neck and face with kisses.

She squirmed as he pulled her beneath him, slowing his barrage of kisses and nuzzling the side of her face. He traced a gentle talon along the curve of her jaw and looked down at her with such adoration in his eyes that she could never doubt his love.

“Would it bother you?”

“What?” 

“If I slept with him.”

She certainly didn’t feel possessive over Garrus. What she felt for him was purely primal sexual desire; there were no strong feelings beyond lust. In fact, despite their agreement in the bunk room, she still found him irritating and hot-headed. Beyond her base desires, her feelings leaned far more negative than positive toward Garrus Vakarian. Why should it bother her if Nihlus was also interested in him? He was handsome; she was sure he did well amongst his kind. 

“No, it wouldn’t bother me,” she said honestly. “But I can’t promise I’ll play your little game. Maybe he’s right. Maybe we should just keep it professional. He rubs me the wrong way.”

“Only in the heat of battle,” Nihlus purred. “Seems like he rubbed you the right way the night you spent together.”

She rolled her eyes. “The point being, if you want to go for it and you think he’s interested, be my guest. We can compare notes.”

“Hm, I’ll think about it.” He kissed her neck, flicking his tongue against her skin, and she was reminded that her body had never quite come down from her brief encounter with Garrus in the bunk room.

“And for now?” She asked, running her fingers along his fringe.

“For now, I believe we just made up after an argument, didn’t we? Don’t you think that warrants a little makeup sex?”

Considering the state she was in, she was almost  _ desperate _ for sex. So desperate, in fact, that she could barely bring herself to answer him with words, instead mumbling a yes as she crushed her lips against his. 

His tongue slid inside her mouth as he moved fully on top of her, the solidity of his weight against her a welcome feeling. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he ground his pelvis against her while they kissed, their breathing becoming heavier as they refused to let their lips part.

Something Shepard appreciated about her partner was that even though they had long since moved on from the honeymoon phase of their sexual relationship, the sex was never  _ predictable _ or routine. They were, by now, so intimately familiar with one another’s bodies that every time was both comforting and enjoyable. He knew exactly how and where to touch her, and she him. As much fun as they had with others, the best moments were always just the two of them.

Nihlus’ mouth strayed down to her neck and he nipped very lightly over her bond mark, sending a little shiver of pleasure down her spine while his kisses moved further down her neck. She lifted her arms in anticipation of his next move and he followed accordingly, gripping the hem of her shirt and drawing it up over her head to toss aside on the floor. Her hands moved to his neck, scratching against his plating as she arched her back to help him remove her bra.

As soon as the garment was removed, his mouth was at her breasts, tongue circling one nipple, then kissing a path across her chest to circle the other. Whichever breast his mouth was not occupied with, his hand gently squeezed, rolling his thumb over her nipple and eliciting a soft moan from the back of her throat.

“Bet Garrus didn’t know what to do with these,” he commented.

“Could we not discuss Garrus while we’re having sex?” She huffed.

He shrugged and moved his kisses down her abdomen until he reached her pants. He pulled them off in a hurry, leaving her clad only in her underwear. It was here that he slowed his movements, planting a delicate kiss on her inner thigh and bringing a single digit to rub gently against her through the fabric. She let out an unbidden gasp and rolled her hips to meet his finger only for him to pull away.

“Red, I’m not up for teasing today.” She propped herself up on her elbows.

“All right, all right.” He hooked a talon in either side of the underwear and dragged it down her hips. 

She could see that he was already out of his sheath, glistening purple cock throbbing between his legs; he probably wasn’t opposed to skipping past any further foreplay himself.

She spread her legs and he settled himself between them, gripping his cock and brushing it up and down the length of her slit a few times. She groaned loudly and dragged her teeth against his mandible.

“What did I say about teasing?”

“You’re no fun.” His mandibles flicked into a grin. Still, he stopped teasing, guiding himself inside of her with one fluid motion until his pelvis was flush against her.

Nothing felt quite as good as Nihlus inside of her. It wasn’t just that he had an incredible (and sizeable) cock, it was the swell of emotions she felt with him. Every time was slightly different: sometimes they fucked hard and fast at a punishing pace until she ached in the best possible way; while other times they moved slow and purposeful, bodies melding together as one.

For as much as Shepard had wanted Garrus to pound the life out of her, she was pleased with the languid pace Nihlus was setting now. He rolled his hips in gentle thrusts, snapping them against her and then falling still to kiss and caress her body before thrusting again, burying himself to the hilt. She clenched her muscles around him, pleased with the husky moan it elicited.

Shifting his weight, he held himself above her while he moved, brushing his nose against hers, meeting her lips with lazy kisses while each slap of his hips against her brought forth a breathy gasp from her throat. Her fingers moved to stroke the soft, sensitive skin directly beneath his fringe and his subharmonics purred in response.

“I love you,” she whispered, and he responded with a low gentle hum from his subvocals.

She’d picked up some turian language in her time with him, learned to parse the meanings of subtle shifts in subvocals, but she’d never needed a translation for that resonating hum; she’d known from the first time what it meant.

“Better than old blue eyes?” Nihlus cocked his head.

“Oh, why’d you have to ruin the moment?” She groaned.

He laughed and kissed her cheek as his slow, purposeful movements continued. “Sorry.”

She shrugged it off. Each time his pelvis ground against her, the flexible ridges of his cock sliding in and out of her, she felt a little closer to the edge. Her face was growing exceedingly warm the closer she got.

“ _ Nihlus, _ ” she gasped.

“Hm. I like it when you use my name in bed.” He nipped at her neck.

“Stop talking.”

He laughed again, mouth pressed against her neck, mandibles fluttering against her skin in what she always took as the turian equivalent of a butterfly kiss. 

Shepard could feel herself slipping closer to the edge. He picked up his pace and buried his face against her shoulder. His name left her lips in increasingly frantic gasps and moans until the orgasm hit in a flash of brilliant white light, muscles spasming against him. She clawed at his neck and gasped for several seconds until the blinding pleasure receded and her breathing stabilized. Her hips rolled lazily to meet his thrusts, her body satisfied and content. He was close to finishing though, as evidenced by the clumsy stutter of his thrusts as he lost his pace.

He came with a loud, dual-toned moan, her name issuing from his lips as he spilled himself inside of her, then his thrusts slowed to a stop and he fell still on top of her, resting his head between her breasts

“You were great, Red.” She traced a finger along the length of his mandible.

“Hmm,” was his only response.

After several quiet minutes lying against each other, she gently pushed him off and he rolled onto his back to watch her with heavy eyelids as she crossed the room to clean herself up. Once she was satisfied, she began pulling her clothes back on; he let out a pathetic whine in response.

“Where are you going? You aren’t going to cuddle?”

“Sorry. I didn’t get a chance to talk to the quarian yet since I went straight for the showers. I want to see how she’s doing.”

“She’ll still be here later this evening,” Nihlus complained.

“Yeah, and so will you.”

“This is what happens in a marriage, is it? All the romance gone!” He draped his arm dramatically over his eyes and slumped further down into the bed.

“Quit being such a drama queen. We’ll snuggle later.”

She left him to mope in bed and stepped back out into the rec room. Garrus was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen, but Tali was examining the books and vids available near the couch at the center of the room. 

“Oh,” she looked up upon Shepard’s arrival. “I was just checking out the rec room. Nihlus said we could…”

“You’re fine.” Shepard smiled and sat on the edge of the couch. “How are you settling in?”

“Good, thank you. I can’t thank you enough for letting me come with you. Really, I just never imagined when I left for my pilgrimage that I would get caught up in something like this. It’s all a bit overwhelming.”

“I can imagine, but you’re in good hands. And you seem pretty capable if you were able to come across that data you gave us and keep it safe for so long. We could certainly use you if more geth are in our future. You said you’re good with tech?”

Tali shrugged. “Most quarians are, but I’ve always been especially interested. I, uh, was wondering...would you mind if I went down to the engineering deck and saw the drive core? I’d love to talk to your flight engineers and pick their brains. And I’ve never been on a ship this small and agile.”

“Of course. You’re part of the crew now. You have free reign of the ship, though I’d recommend at least knocking before opening the door to our room,” Shepard laughed.

“You and Nihlus are…”

“Yes.”

Tali looked down at her lap and Shepard wished she could understand quarian expressions better. She knew so little about quarians in general: they mostly kept to themselves amongst the flotilla, leaving only for their pilgrimage before typically returning for life. They were a rare enough sight on the Citadel, where all races mingled; they were virtually absent on colony planets and smaller space stations.

She wondered how romance worked amongst quarians as well. They were obviously capable of reproducing, but how did they do it with such restrictive suits? She knew enough to know quarians couldn’t really remove the suits without risking death from an infection due to their highly weakened immune systems. Tali seemed young, and must have been if she was on her pilgrimage; maybe she’d never even experienced a romantic exchange.

“So…” The quarian twisted her hands in her lap. “What happened to the marine?”

“Ash? I got her an assignment on an Alliance ship. She’s only had ground postings before, but she’s a hell of a soldier; she deserved a spot on a ship, but coming with us wasn’t an option. This isn’t an Alliance mission.”

“That was nice of you.”

Shepard shrugged. “Might as well use my powers for good occasionally.”

Tali laughed and for a moment there was a comfortable silence between them, then she stood up and headed toward the elevator. “I think I’ll go check out the drive core now.”

“Make yourself at home. You could be stuck with us for a while.”

Shepard thought she saw a smile in the glow of the quarian’s eyes behind her mask. 

“That sounds wonderful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little filler chapter/relationship-focus. How long will Garrus and Shepard's 'agreement' last? :) 
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading! I love seeing your comments and I'm so glad people are enjoying this. Writing Nihlus in particular is really fun for me because the game didn't give him enough time to have much of a voice so I kind of get to create one myself.
> 
> More soon-ish!


	9. Descent

Nihlus always forgot how beautiful Serrice was each time he left it for too long, but as the Callisto docked in the city’s port, he was reminded yet again of how much he loved the stunning views of the jagged skyline. He’d visited the city many times during his nearly ten-year service as a Spectre, though only once with Shepard.  _ That _ had been a fun trip involving a wonderful weekend with an asari maiden in an expensive penthouse hotel.

As they stood at the airlock waiting for the doors to open, Nihlus leaned over and whispered a reminder of that weekend to Shepard, whose face flushed red accordingly.

“I’m only saying,” he stood up straight, “we don’t have to rush this mission if we wanted to...relive that experience.”

“Time is a factor here, Red,” she reminded him. “There are plenty of asari on the Citadel.”

He shrugged and turned his attention to Garrus, who stood behind them in full armor, rifles strapped to his back. “Have you been to Serrice before, Garrus?”

“I’ve never been to Thessia,” he admitted. “I’m not very well traveled. I grew up on Palaven, traveled to a few turian colony worlds during my military service, then I came to the Citadel. That’s about it.”

“What a shame,” Nihlus lamented. “Thessia’s a beautiful world, Serrice especially. It’s too bad we don’t have time to sight-see. There are some wonderful museums here, and the clubs are phenomenal. You ever been with an asari, Garrus?”

Garrus’ mandibles flared. “Er...no.”

Nihlus clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his head. “That’s too bad.”

“As nice as it is to sit here and shoot the shit, we do have an objective,” Shepard reminded them. “We need to hail a cab to the University of Serrice and find Dr. T’soni. If her mother is really working with Saren, then there’s a huge possibility he’ll have his people snooping after her too. We need to hurry.” She tapped on her omni-tool to summon a skycar.

“Speaking of Saren,” Nihlus flicked his mandibles, “Riz gave me a tip that there are some mercs somewhere in the city with a personal vendetta against him. It might not hurt to have extra hands if we’re taking on something this important.”

“I’m sure the Council would LOVE if we brought some no-name mercs in on an important operation to bring down an ex-Spectre.” Shepard rolled her eyes.

“Well, we’ve never cared much about what the Council thinks, have we? I want to check out the lead. It won’t take long, but you yourself pointed out how important time is in this mission. Why don’t you and Garrus secure Dr. T’soni and I’ll bring Tali to suss out this business with the mercs. If it’s a dead end, that’s all right, but better we try. We need all the tools we can get in this investigation.”

Shepard balked. “You want to ditch this mission to go talk to some mercs with a grudge against Saren? Half the galaxy has a grudge against Saren based on his track record. Really, Red, I…”

“I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Nihlus,” Garrus interrupted, as Nihlus had expected he would. “That’s a lead I would chase if I were leading this investigation. The mercs may have info on Saren and if they don’t, they might still be an asset if they’re willing to join forces. I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity if we’re here anyway. Like Nihlus said, the worst case is it’s a dead end.”

“Fine, whatever. Let’s just get going,” Shepard huffed. “If we spend all day arguing over it, nothing will get done and Saren’s men will probably get to Dr. T’soni before we do.”

The skycar Shepard had summoned descended and came to a halt in front of them. Before she climbed in, she cast Nihlus a look of pure irritation, but he only smirked in response. He waved as the car took off with Shepard and Garrus within, then turned to Tali with a warm smile.

“Ready to find some mercs?”

“I guess so,” she shrugged. “This is a lot more excitement than I was expecting when I left for my pilgrimage.”

“Better than rooting around the Citadel for outdated tech to take back to the flotilla.” 

Nihlus set a quick pace through the crowd toward the coordinates Rizenda had given him. They led to a club in the lower reaches of the city where freelance mercs and other unsavory sorts often congregated; Rizenda  _ would _ be familiar with the place, considering her personality and the cloudy details of her past. He hoped this lead would be useful, though it had at least served a purpose in forcing Shepard and Garrus to work together - and hopefully get along for more than five minutes. 

Shepard claimed she had no interest in pursuing Garrus or going along with Nihlus’ suggestion to turn it into a game, but he was interested to see how that would hold being forced together as he had done. He also knew Garrus would agree about the importance of following the lead on the mercs, a point they could discuss further back on the Callisto and a good excuse to get him alone for a bit. If Shepard didn’t want to go after him, that was all fine, but Nihlus was  _ very  _ interested.

Sending Garrus along with Shepard hadn’t just been a ploy to force them to get along though; Nihlus wanted to get to know Tali better, and as skilled a soldier as he knew Shepard was, Garrus was better backup than a young, inexperienced quarian if they ran into Saren’s men en route to Dr. T’soni. 

As they headed for the lower reaches of Serrice, Nihlus watched Tali, her eyes spinning in an effort to take in the new and wonderful sights surrounding her. He could probably count on both hands the number of quarians he knew personally, but his understanding was that their lives were fairly sheltered: they grew up isolated amongst their own people on the flotilla, left for a short pilgrimage, then returned to serve the rest of their lives aboard flotilla ships. It was likely Tali hadn’t seen much of the world outside of “quarian space”. If he and Shepard could help her see some of the world, and learn what those outside her own race were like, he was happy to help. Whether or not Tali wanted it, Nihlus had already mentally assumed the role of her mentor. 

“Quite a city, isn’t it?” He asked, breaking her attention from the beautiful asari - and occasional other races - milling past on either side of them. 

She looked up at him, eyes glowing behind her mask, “When I arrived on the Citadel, I thought I’d never seen so many asari in my life, but there’s even more here. I never gave much thought to beauty or fashion, they aren’t attributes we focus on in the flotilla, but the asari are so…”

“Glamorous?” Nihlus finished for her. “Asari rule the galaxy, don’t let anyone tell you differently and don’t let their beauty deceive you. The Hierarchy likes to pretend they’re on equal footing with Thessia, but the asari have ruled the Citadel the longest and they’re shrewd and cunning politicians. But outside of a human they’re the most fun in bed.” He winked and Tali made a noise of surprise. 

It was likely she had never so much as touched another person with her bare skin, given how dangerous it was for quarians to live outside of their enviro-suits; couple her biological circumstances with her youth and it was likely she had almost no sexual experience whatsoever. But Nihlus was familiar with add-ons for enviro-suits and he wasn’t naive or close-minded enough to assume Tali didn’t know  _ anything _ .

“Well, at any rate, this is the most incredible place  _ I’ve _ ever seen,” Tali said.

“Serrice is a wonderful place. One of my favorite places, actually. I don’t get out to Thessia often enough, but you know the asari, they always want one of their  _ own _ Spectres involved in these issues. I don’t trust  _ that _ , but it’s not really within my control.”

Tali, it was clear, was no longer completely following his train of thought, but she nodded politely anyway.

The lower reaches of Serrice were not dissimilar to the Citadel wards, if not quite as seedy simply by virtue of existing on a planet under the constant scrutiny of a litany of powerful and important asari matriarchs. Nihlus couldn’t pretend to be intimately familiar with the lower reaches, by any means; his time in Serrice had been spent dealing with high-level political players who only sent their cronies so close to the planet’s surface. Still, he had been to plenty of places  _ like _ this, and he knew how to hold himself in the presence of thugs and criminals.

Tali surprised him with the absence of any visible fear; her hand occasionally brushed over the pistol at her hip, but only to ensure it was still there. For someone with so little experience, he was impressed at how proudly she held herself.

The mercs they were after were supposed to be frequent patrons of a strip-club tastefully named: ‘The Goddess’ Tits’, and its appearance lived up to its name when they arrived: a grimy, tiny building sandwiched between a bar and a laundromat with a massive krogan bouncer barring entry to a long line of waiting customers.

Bypassing the line, Nihlus approached the krogan with Tali at his side.

“If you want in, you have to wait your turn.”

“Hm, interesting concept.” Nihlus picked at some invisible dirt beneath his talons. “Do those rules apply to Council Spectres, too?”

The krogan’s face darkened. “Council Spectres don’t get in period.”

Nihlus wrapped his arm genially around the krogan, watching as the massive bouncer’s eyes moved with distaste to where his hand came to rest on his shoulder. 

“We both know that I could end your life and nobody in this line would do a damn thing to help you,” Nihlus whispered, drawing his face uncomfortably close to the krogan’s. “I’m just here to watch some dancers on my off time. So either you let me in, or I’ll hurt you in so many ways that death will seem like a mercy.”

Nihlus wasn’t fond of krogan and, in his admittedly biased experience, most of them were dumb brutes. This one, at least, had enough sense to recognize it was a smarter solution for all parties involved to let him into the club without incident. In typical krogan fashion, however, he shoved Nihlus away from him before turning to open the door and allow both Nihlus and Tali safe entry inside. Behind them, the line of eager customers broke into angry shouts, but that was the krogan’s problem now.

Inside, the club was dimly lit, with loud, bass-blasted music pouring through the speakers surrounding the room. Several small stages were set up where asari and humans in various stages of undress writhed and twisted in front of people who eyed them like vultures. The way Tali’s eyes darted wildly about the room, Nihlus thought her head might spin right off her body.

Rizenda had described the mercs as a krogan and a human, and had provided blurry, but nevertheless useful, pictures to aid in identifying them. Unfortunately, half the club’s patrons were krogan and human and Nihlus had never been particularly good at telling either apart in large groups. He showed Tali the picture and the two of them set about scanning the room for their targets.

“The key to espionage is you have to make it look like there’s no ulterior motive,” Nihlus began, assuming his role of mentor to the young quarian. “We’re just here to watch these dancers and maybe chat with the other patrons.”

She promptly knocked him down a few pegs by casually crossing the room and sidling into a seat next to the very mercs they were looking for. Nihlus realized his mistake: youth, even naivety about the finer aspects of life, didn’t equate to helplessness; Tali knew how to handle herself.

He followed her over to where the mercs sat ogling a young purple asari flashing her breasts at them in a lewd and, Nihlus had to admit, alluring display. Tali watched the asari with a little more than feigned interest, her eyes roving up and down the woman’s body.

The mercs barely registered their presence, glancing over at them as they sat down before returning their gaze to the dancer. This allowed Nihlus the opportunity to really size them up: because a powerful friend could just as easily be a powerful foe, and he  _ hated _ fighting krogan.

Both of the mercs were the very picture of  _ grizzled _ . Deep gouges ran across the krogan’s leathery red head and down across his mouth. It was hard to parse out a krogan’s age, considering they lived on a scale that was unfathomable to a comparably shorter lived race like turians, but there was no questioning that this merc was  _ old: _ more than five centuries if Nihlus had to guess. Next to him, the considerably smaller human seemed nonetheless formidable, decked out as he was in sturdy, well-worn armor; his right eye rheumy and glazed over; the skin around it foreign, as if it had been grafted on.

“This place could give Chora’s Den a run for its money,” the human said, his voice rough with age.

“Chora’s Den is a shithole,” the krogan replied, his voice so low in pitch that it was almost difficult to parse what he was saying amongst the rest of the noise pulsing through the club. “This place is a shithole too, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Chora’s Den. All those paunchy, aging dancers...ugh.”

“I don’t know, I like a girl with a little bit more to hold onto.”

“You humans have strange taste.”

“That’s rich coming from a krogan.”

Tali turned very slowly to Nihlus and whispered, “So what’s our move?”

Flicking his mandibles into a grin, he responded by leaning forward and staring straight ahead at the asari. She was a pretty little thing and reminded him of the asari he and Shepard had spent such a wonderful weekend with. It really  _ was _ a shame they were here on business.

“You gentlemen ever heard the name  _ Saren Arterius _ ?” He asked without breaking his gaze away from the dancer.

In his periphery he could see the human tense up and the krogan’s grip tighten around his drink.

“Who the fuck’s asking?” The human demanded.

“Let’s just say, a party mutually interested in seeing him face retribution for his actions.” As he said it, he almost felt a twinge of pain in the now well-healed bullet wound in his shoulder. Of course, he knew any physical pain was just his imagination, but the gunshot had ripped open an emotional wound he’d long thought healed.

Both of the mercs seemed to relax a little at this. The human finally tore his gaze away from the dancer to assess Nihlus, before he seemed suddenly to notice the tiny quarian at his side. He gave her an up and down and shook his head.

“I’ve got my own grudge against Saren, but trying to lay hands on a Spectre is rough business. Too much of a bleeding mess.”

The krogan nodded. “I wouldn’t let him slip away if I ran into him, but going after him is asking for trouble.”

“Would it change your minds to know he’s been stripped of Spectre status?” Nihlus turned to look at them. “He’s considered a fugitive of the Council’s justice. There are other Spectres out looking for him as we speak.”

The two mercs exchanged a glance and then the human held out his hand. “Zaeed Massani. And this is Wrex.” He nodded back at the krogan. “Now who the hell are you?”

Nihlus shook his hand and found the human had a surprisingly firm grip. “Nihlus Kryik. And this is Tali. I’m working in conjunction with another Spectre to try and bring Saren in. My ship’s pilot tipped me off that the two of you might be interested in seeing him face justice and we could use all the help we can get.”

“Which of his little projects finally tipped the Council off?” Wrex asked.

“He was behind the attack on Eden Prime.”

“Fuck off!” Zaeed laughed. “Seriously? Bloody hell.” He paused for a moment to watch the asari still writhing in front of them. “As enticing as going after Saren sounds, I’ve got bills to pay, you understand, birdy? I can’t just hop on a Spectre’s ship to exact a little revenge.”

“We can pay you,” Nihlus offered. Mercs never asked for as much as they probably deserved for acting as cannon fodder, and both he and Shepard could shave money off of their salaries and still have too much of it; risking your life for the Council had a  _ few _ benefits.

Zaeed and Wrex exchanged another pointed glance and then Zaeed met Nihlus’ gaze. “Let’s talk shop, birdy.”

* * *

Serrice was considerably smaller than the Citadel, and yet Shepard always felt like she was stumbling through a maze trying to orient herself within the city. The Citadel she knew like the back of her hand from years of calling it home outside of the Callisto, but if not for the wonders of public shuttle transport, she would have gotten herself lost ten times over in the short thirty minutes they had been on the planet. As it was, she had no clue where they were in relation to anything else when they landed outside the university, and the campus was so vast and sprawling that she wasn’t very confident she would get them to Dr. T’soni’s office in any timely fashion.

Fortunately - or not, because he was almost smug about it - Garrus seemed to have a keen sense of direction and a skill at following maps (an item Shepard routinely ignored and largely considered a suggestion rather than a necessity). Together, the two of them managed to make their way through lush green gardens, past towering spires housing different schools within the university, until they found the department of archaeology building where Dr. T’soni’s office was meant to be.

Shepard wasn’t stupid or blind; she’d been well aware what Nihlus was up to when he’d suggested they split off. She would have much preferred Tali’s company on this mission to Garrus’, who had said very little except to correct her when she almost got them lost upon landing at the university. Still, she couldn’t argue that Garrus’ particular brand of brash strength was probably better suited to protecting a young asari professor than a small and inexperienced quarian.

Garrus’ nose twitched as they entered the department building and stopped to assess the directory.

“It smells  _ old _ in here.”

“Imagine that.” Shepard rolled her eyes.

“I wouldn’t expect it to bother you. Humans are practically nose blind.”

“I’m well aware of your species’ superior sense of smell.” 

She scanned the directory while Garrus shifted impatiently beside her, apparently opting for silence over smugness or else refusing to offer help in locating the department of xenoarchaeology amidst the numerous other subdepartments within the building. She found it all the same and took off for the elevators without a word, but his long strides didn’t keep them apart for long.

The elevators were, if possible, slower than those on the Citadel: no small feat. Shepard crossed her arms and leaned against the wall as they made their slow ascent, while Garrus paced back and forth in front of her.

“Can’t you hold still for five seconds? You were shaking your leg the whole shuttle ride here and now you’re pacing.”

“Don’t these elevators move any faster?”

“Maybe if you  _ really _ wish it, they will.”

He cast a withering look at her and finally stopped pacing. “So what’s the likelihood this asari is actually working with her mother and Saren? Shouldn’t we be at least a little worried that could be the case?”

“We’ll sniff it out when we meet her. The Council hasn’t given her warning that we’re coming for that very reason.”

“You think Nihlus will have any luck with the mercs?”

“Nihlus could talk a volus out of their enviro-suit. I think he’ll be just fine.”

“He  _ is _ charming,” Garrus agreed.

Shepard raised her eyebrow. “Your little ‘professional’ speech apply to everyone on the ship, or just me?”

His mandibles flared with embarrassment and he looked away from her. “I was just making an observation. Anyone with a brain can see that Nihlus is charming.”

It was true, he was unbearably flirtatious and always knew exactly what to say to play up the strengths of whoever he was flirting with, but it never came off as insincere, mostly because it  _ wasn’t _ . Nihlus always meant every compliment he lavished upon everyone he spoke to. It was something she loved about him, but it could be exhausting in equal measure. Flirtation was not a switch Nihlus could turn on and off and some didn’t always take to it as kindly as most.

It seemed Garrus enjoyed it, however.

“Yeah, hopefully Tali can handle it. It’s a lot if you’re not used to him.”

“I think she’s tougher than she looks.”

Shepard had thought something similar and was both surprised and pleased to find something she and Garrus could mutually agree upon. In the spirit of the contract of reconciliation they’d made aboard the Callisto, she offered him a small smile.

The elevator doors finally opened on the penultimate floor and they headed down the hallway to a door with an electronic label indicating Dr. T’soni’s office. The frosted glass of the door revealed the silhouette of an asari behind a desk within. Shepard knocked once and a soft, sweet voice responded almost immediately.

“Come in, it’s unlocked.”

Lucky for the professor that Shepard and Garrus weren’t geth and merc thugs sent by Saren. Years as a Spectre had trained her against anything as naive as leaving a door unlocked and welcoming in strangers, but her life was vastly different than this asari professor’s.

The office within was small, with barely enough room for the desk and computer terminal it housed. Behind the desk, a beautiful, round-faced asari sat typing away at the terminal, her face and scalp crest dotted with blue and purple freckles. She looked so  _ young _ , though young for an asari meant she was still several decades Shepard’s senior, but she had a glow of youthful naivety about her that immediately endeared her to Shepard.

After a few seconds of typing, Dr. T’soni finally looked away from her computer, her eyes widening at the sight of a human and turian in full armor with guns strapped to their backs.

“Can I...help you?” She blinked at them.

“Dr. T’soni? My name is Jane Shepard, I’m a Council Spectre. This is Garrus Vakarian, he’s C-sec on assignment with me and my crew.”

“Oh.” Her posture shifted to a more rigid stance. “Is there something...what does the Council want with me? Am I in trouble? I only  _ borrowed _ that artifact from the museum in Armali. I was going to bring it right back, but they wouldn’t loan it out so I just...took it, but I didn’t think anyone noticed and no one was properly assessing it so I  _ had _ to. Oh goddess, I’m going to face a tribunal over this, aren’t I?”

Shepard had to stop herself from laughing at the asari’s obvious distress. She held up a hand and shook her head. “We’re not here about that, though I’m sure the museum on Armali will have something to say about it if they find out. My partner, Nihlus, and I retrieved some Prothean tech from a human colony earlier this week and the Council would like to use your expertise in assessing its function. They’ve provided a stipend for your help and, as I understand it, arrangements have already been made with the university.”

Best not to mention that, oh by the way, a power-hungry ex-Spectre and  _ your estranged mother _ might be after you using geth and krogan canon fodder.  _ No big deal. _

Dr. T’soni’s cheeks tinged purple. “I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have mentioned the artifact from Armali.” She cleared her throat. “I would be honored to assess this artifact for the Council. That they thought of me at all...there are so many older, wiser Prothean scholars…”

“Your views on the Protheans are unique,” Garrus spoke up. “The Council wants a unique viewpoint, I’m sure.” Shepard gaped at him and he shrugged. “I had time to kill on the trip here so I read up on Dr. T’soni’s research. She has interesting views on the Prothean extinction in particular.”

“Thank you for saying so.” Dr. T’soni smiled. “Few of my colleagues would agree with you, however.” She glanced back at her computer and sighed. “What kind of time frame are we looking at here? I have some papers I need to finish grading, though I suppose I could finish on the trip to the Citadel. How long will I be gone? I’ll need to pack…”

“Well, time is a bit of a factor, Dr. T’soni…” Shepard was growing anxious. There was no saying how far ahead of Saren’s men they were, if he was really after her.

“Please, Liara is just fine. Only my students call me Dr. T’soni.”

“ _ Shepard _ .” Garrus shifted, his mandibles flicking as he turned toward the door.

A noise had sounded in the hallway, faint, but audible enough for two people on their guard; she had heard it too. 

“Go check it out. I’ll stay with Dr. T’s- I’ll stay with Liara.”

Garrus nodded and moved quietly out of the office.

“Is something wrong?” Liara asked, rising to her feet.

“Liara, this may be...a delicate matter. Is it true you’re estranged from your mother?” Shepard asked.

“We haven’t spoken in over a decade, yes. What has that got to do with the Council needing my advice on the Protheans?”

“Your mother is involved with a fugitive of Council justice. We have reason to believe this fugitive may be seeking you out for the same expertise the Council wants to take advantage of. Unfortunately, his...methods of extraction wouldn’t be quite so cordial.”

_ “SHEPARD!” _ Garrus yelled from the hallway and a moment later she heard the  _ pop pop pop _ of his assault rifle.

Liara’s face went pale. “Did he just  _ shoot _ at something?”

“We need to get you out of here  _ now _ .” Shepard grabbed the asari’s arm. 

“Oh goddess...but I...I need to grab my OSDs. My research. If they destroy it...well I have backups but are those safe? What if they’ve already been to my home?”

“Just grab the damn OSD and let’s go! There’s no time!”

Shepard threw open the door to find Garrus had taken cover behind a shoddy wooden shelf. At the end of the hallway near the elevator doors, a krogan and two asari were making headway against him, firing off round after round and barely giving Garrus time to fire back. When they noticed Shepard, the krogan pointed and yelled,

“That’s the asari’s office. Take out the human, but leave the asari alive!”

A round of gunfire followed and Shepard narrowly avoided being hit as she ducked back inside the office. Liara was positively shaking as she yanked her OSDs from her desk and shoved them into a small bag that she strapped to her back.

“Do you know how to fire a gun, Liara?”

“I have a little practice with a pistol, but…”

Shepard didn’t let her finish. She yanked her pistol from its holster at her side and shoved it in the asari’s hand, then pulled her spare shield clip from her chest plate and strapped it to the bag on Liara’s back.

“Stay behind me and only shoot if you have to.”

“O-okay.”

“I’m a Spectre. I’m going to get you out of here.”

Liara took a deep breath and steeled herself, then they stepped into the hallway and ran for cover with Garrus, a hail of bullets following in their wake and clipping Shepard’s shields. Garrus forcefully moved Liara to the safest cover against the wall before facing Shepard.

“What’s the plan? They’re blocking the elevator and I don’t like our chances against a krogan and two commandos. If they didn’t have biotics, maybe, but…”

“I agree. It’s too big of a risk.”

Shepard and Nihlus had taken out far more mercs between the two of them, but they had been humans, and non-biotic at that. Even so, their last run-in with a band of mercs that outsized them had left Shepard with the network of scars marring her neck. Against two well-honed biotic killing machines and a krogan with a gun the size of her entire body, their odds of winning were exceedingly low.

“Liara, is there any other way out of this building besides the elevator?”

“Well...apart from jumping out a window.” As calm as the asari was trying to be, her hands were still shaking as she held the pistol. “Wait! There’s a garbage chute in a utility room at the end of the hall! It’s not very big, but it  _ might _ fit us.”

“Might is a big ‘if’ for me,” Garrus said, gesturing to his massive form.

“We don’t have a ton of options here. Let’s at least try a run for the room. If we can’t get out through the chute, maybe we can buy enough time to get a shuttle up high enough for us to jump out. Otherwise, we face off against these three and hope it goes well for us.”

Garrus sighed. “Okay. You two run for the room and I’ll hold them off, then I’ll follow.”

Shepard knew better than to argue with a sound battle plan. “Okay, but don’t get yourself killed.”

“And leave you without my company?” He flicked a grin at her and she felt a prick of annoyance at the little spark it ignited in her gut.

“All right, hot shot. A big head is a big target.” She patted his shoulder and grabbed Liara’s arm. “You ready?”

“As ready as I can be.”

“Run!”

They took off down the hall, bullets and biotics hitting their shields with brutal force. Liara stumbled, but Shepard yanked her along, not allowing herself a look back as Garrus fired on the three incoming brutes; she said a silent prayer that he made it to the utility room.

It wasn’t a long trip to the utility room by any stretch of the imagination, but the sprint felt like it lasted a lifetime until they finally reached the door and Shepard yanked Liara inside. It was filled with mops and buckets and other odd janitorial items, and, as Liara had promised, a small garbage chute on the back wall. It was certainly large enough for a human or an asari,  _ definitely _ not large enough for a krogan. As for a turian, the size was highly debatable. Nihlus  _ might  _ have fit, but he was smaller than Garrus. She wouldn’t leave Garrus behind to fend for himself, but it certainly limited their options if he didn’t fit.

She opened the chute and stared down into the darkness. 

“This goes all the way down?”

“To the bottom floor,” Liara nodded. “I can use my biotics to cushion our fall, otherwise it’s as good as a death sentence.”

“How, er, precise are you with those biotics?”

Liara wrinkled her nose, “I’m not completely incompetent,  _ Shepard _ .”

“All right. No time to be defensive. Our lives are on the line here, doctor.” 

She glanced out the door and found Garrus barrelling toward them with the asari close on his heels. He nearly knocked Shepard over as he rocketed into the utility room and then began shoving every available item in front of the door to bar entry. Shepard reached past him and turned the lock.

“I was  _ going _ to do that too.” He grumbled.

“Let’s go. Can you fit into this Garrus?”

He walked up to the garbage chute and opened it hefting his upper body inside so that his legs dangled out against the door. Shepard pulled him back before he could fall completely in. He fit; that was a small relief.

“Let Liara go first. She’ll cushion the fall with a biotic barrier.”

“Oh, er, good thinking.” He nodded, mandibles flaring almost imperceptibly.

“Everyone ready? I’m summoning a shuttle. When we land, we get out of the building as quickly as possible, but be prepared for backup. I doubt Saren only sent three of his people after us. And there could be geth…”

“ _ GETH!? _ ” Liara exclaimed.

“Into the chute now,” Shepard and Garrus lifted her up.

“There could be geth?” Liara repeated.

“Down you go. We’ll meet you down there!” They hefted her into the chute, the friction of her clothes against the metal interior sounding long after she had disappeared from view.

“You next,” Garrus said.

“You don’t have to be so selfless all the time.” Shepard rolled her eyes.

“No, but someone has to have your six.”

The asari were pounding on the door, hitting it with biotic blasts. There wasn’t time for playful banter. Shepard let him lift her into the shoot, another flare of annoyance at the way her body reacted so readily to the slightest touch from him, then she was sailing down the chute, surrounded by darkness, a ball of anxiety forming like a rock in her stomach. She heard Garrus falling behind her and desperately hoped Liara was precise with her biotics; she didn’t like the idea of being flattened into a pancake or crushed by a massive turian.

The fall seemed to last forever and she braced herself for impact, eyes squeezed tightly shut, but the impact never came. When she opened her eyes, Liara had trapped her and Garrus in separate mass effect fields; she lowered them slowly to the floor, or what would have been the floor if it weren’t littered with garbage.

“Good job.” Shepard commended her.

“No time for that. We have to go.” Garrus pushed them forward, out of the room and into a hallway on the main floor.

They ran toward the lobby and stuttered to a halt at the sight of three more asari commandos pacing the entrance. Wordlessly, Liara gestured to the opposite end of the hall. They followed her to an unguarded, windowless side exit. Shepard took point and Garrus took the rear with Liara between them, guns in hand, moving silently and cautiously out the door to a hopefully waiting shuttle.

Shepard didn’t have time to take in her surroundings when they exited the building because as soon as she stepped out the door, a hand was around her throat, sharp talons pricking her flesh.

“A noble effort, Spectre, but I’m afraid you’re outnumbered.”

A bare-faced turian held her aloft with ease, the effort of raising her weight not even registering in the sinewy muscle of his arm. She clawed at his hand and gasped for breath.

“You didn’t think we’d leave even one exit to this building unguarded, did you? Our only mistake was taking too long to get here.”

As the turian’s hand crushed against her windpipe, her vision began to recede; she could feel herself losing consciousness, desperately scrambling for her gun, trying to open her mouth to issue an order to companions she couldn’t see. Were there others holding Garrus and Liara? She couldn’t move her head in any meaningful direction to see.

Suddenly a spray of blue blood issued from the turian’s head and he dropped her. She fell to the ground gasping for air and pawing at her injured throat as the turian crumpled in a heap, dead. Expecting to see Garrus on the other end of his rifle when she turned to look behind her, she instead found Liara, still holding her pistol forward, arms shaking tremendously, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I didn’t...I’ve never…”

“We have to go!” Garrus barked. “Shepard, can you stand?”

It took some effort, but she righted herself. A quick glance at her omni-tool told her the shuttle was waiting a few yards away, but Liara’s gunfire had attracted the attention of asari at the other entrance.

Liara was frozen to the spot, and they didn’t have time to shake her from her stupor. Garrus picked her up and hefted her over his shoulder and they took off, the asari’s gunfire and biotics licking at their heels. All around them, students on campus stopped to stare at the ordeal unfolding before them. Shepard could pick an asari commando out of a lineup, so she didn’t concern herself too much with the throngs of other asari they passed in their retreat; it was Thessia after all.

The shuttle was waiting for them over a small patch of grass on the western edge of the campus. Shepard rocketed in and jammed her fingers on the display, punching the coordinates for the Callisto into the navigation software. Garrus threw Liara into the back seat and slammed the door shut before scrambling into the passenger seat next to Shepard. He closed the door just in time to avoid a volley of gunfire from the pursuing asari.

“Go!” He screamed.

“I’m trying!” Shepard’s fingers felt thick and clumsy, and she was still dazed from her encounter with the turian.

Garrus pushed her hands aside, punched in the coordinates, and slammed his fist on the accelerator.

Then they were off, into the sky and out of range, at least momentarily, of Saren’s pursuit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fun to write, particularly to get to play around with Shepard and Garrus' dynamic. Nihlus is a sneaky little shit. There will hopefully be more soon, but I am participating in mass effect big bang this year so that might pull a bit of my time in the next few weeks. Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and commenting. I really appreciate you all!


	10. Spark

Inside the shuttle, there was a moment for reprieve as it seemed, for the time being, they weren’t being pursued. Garrus held no high hopes that it would remain that way, or that Saren’s men wouldn’t be waiting for them at the docking bay.

They at least had a moment, and Garrus took the opportunity to assess the situation. They were lucky to have made it out of the building alive, let alone off campus. Liara, the doe-eyed young asari they’d rescued in the nick of time, sat in the back seat positively shaking, the pistol Shepard had given her long since tossed to the floor of the shuttle.

“Are you okay, Liara?” he asked, knowing it was a stupid question, knowing the answer before she spoke.

“I’ve never shot someone before, let alone  _ killed _ someone.” She bit her lip. “The worst I’ve ever faced were a few wild varren at a dig site.”

“It’ll be okay. What matters is we all made it out alive.”

Next to him, in the driver’s seat, Shepard leaned back heavily into the seat, her small human hands rubbing up and down the already bruising skin around her neck. Her eyes were squeezed tight in a gesture of pain.

“Are  _ you _ okay, Shepard?”

Sighing, she opened her eyes to look at him. “I’ll live.”

“You should see the ship medic when we get back.”

She gave him a withering look and he felt stupid for having suggested something so obvious. As if in penance for that momentary rudeness, she said, “You did good back there.”

“ _ We _ did good,” he offered.

She nodded and closed her eyes again.

“What if there are more people waiting at your ship?” Liara asked, voice quavering. “What if there’s nowhere we can run? What do we do?”

“Rizenda would throw herself on a grenade before she let anyone onto that ship. I trust our crew. If there’s anyone sniffing around the docks, they’ll have an eye on it.”

“Maybe we should radio in, just to be sure,” Garrus suggested.

Another sigh from Shepard, but she lifted her arm and tapped on her omni-tool. “This is Shepard. I’ve got Vakarian and T’soni with me. ETA…” she glanced at the navigation system on the shuttle display, “ten minutes. We encountered hostiles at the university. What’s the status at the docks?”

Several seconds of silence passed in which Garrus began to seriously worry that the ship had been overtaken, but then a gruff voice cracked over the line.

“Yeah.” It was the ship pilot, a grizzled - and frankly terrifying - asari matriarch. Garrus had barely said two words to her, but he was sure she could  _ smell _ the very healthy fear and respect he held for her. “Had some wet-behind the ears commando maidens come sniffing around. We took care of it, but I’ll bet there’s more. Got the crew on high alert, weapons at the ready.”

“And Nihlus?”

“He just got back with the little squirt and those mercs I told him about. Gotta love his timing, showed up  _ after  _ we took care of the commandos. He said he tried to signal you.”

“Sorry, I haven’t checked my missed calls, I was busy being shot at.”

Rizenda laughed. “Well, we’ve got her ready to go as soon as you get back. Best not to stick around here too long. We’ll wanna hop to FTL and hit the mass relay ASAP.”

“We’ll be there soon. Tell Nihlus we’re on our way.”

“Will do.”

Shepard severed the connection and rubbed her temple. “We should have been more prepared. I suspected Saren would send his hired thugs after us, but I wasn’t anticipating this amount of firepower. He obviously really wanted to get his hands on Liara.”

“What does he want with me?” Liara asked from the back seat. “I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I…”

“He was after the same Prothean tech we took from Eden Prime. There’s something he’s trying to uncover about the Protheans. I’d imagine he wants you for your expertise, though he’s apparently working with your mother, so that could have something to do with it.”

Liara shook her head and stared out the window. “I don’t know my mother anymore. The woman I once knew...she would never have resorted to all this.”

“This is why I don’t trust matriarchs. Besides Riz. The asari are too embroiled in their own politics and secrets. The matriarchs seem to shut out the rest of the universe to secure their own interests.”

“That’s not true!” Liara replied indignantly.

Shepard rolled her eyes, though Liara couldn’t see as much from her position in the back seat. “Okay.”

“Let’s leave political arguments for another time,” Garrus suggested. “We don’t know the full extent of Benezia’s involvement with Saren. What we do know is Saren didn’t get what he was after, and it’s the second time you and Nihlus have thwarted him. We should remain on high alert, even on the Citadel. Someone with as much reach and influence as Saren is bound to have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“We’re Spectres. We’re  _ always _ diligent.”

“Not diligent enough this time.”

She curled her lip, but it was obvious she knew he was right, so she said nothing more.

The rest of shuttle ride was spent in silence. Garrus watched Liara in the rearview mirror, holding her legs tight against her chest, staring out the window in a state of shock. He felt sympathy for her; it had to be overwhelming to be torn so violently from what had started as just another day. He had not felt so much fear or sorrow over his own first kill, but it had been in the military, after months of training to stifle any emotional response on the battlefield. For a civilian, killing must have been more difficult, even if it was a thug who would have crushed the life out of Shepard if given the chance.

When the shuttle arrived back at the Callisto, they were greeted to the sight of four dead asari, scattered about the ground almost as a warning, purple blood pooling beneath them. Liara lost it at the sight of them, letting out a soft gasp and turning to empty the contents of her stomach along the edge of the dock. 

Garrus wasn’t good with emotional support, but thankfully Shepard seemed to be. She approached Liara slowly, placing a tender hand on her back and rubbing gently.

“It’s going to be okay, Liara.” She spoke softly. “I promise we’ll keep you safe.”

Liara nodded weakly, tears welling in her eyes, and allowed Shepard to escort her onto the ship, Garrus following close behind.

Almost as soon as they were in, the airlock was sealed and the ship pulled away from the dock. Rizenda left takeoff to her co-pilot to greet them; purple blood speckled her clothing and stained her knuckles.

“Goddess’ tits, Shepard, you look rough.”

“Thanks.”

“This little cupcake must be Dr. T’soni? Didn’t realize she was so young.”

Liara was, at this point, quite pale, and didn’t have the energy to respond to Rizenda. She could barely even look at the pilot.

“I’m going to take her down to Korvus. Where’s Nihlus?”

“He was getting the mercs settled in.”

“Go talk to him, Garrus. And if you’re going to tell him about the throat injury then at least mention that I’m with Korvus so he doesn’t need to worry about it.”

Garrus nodded, the three of them heading for the elevator. Shepard and Liara exited on the crew deck where the med-bay was located, while Garrus rode for one more floor, exiting onto the deck he and Tali now shared with Nihlus and Shepard.

He found Nihlus and Tali in the bunk room chatting with an ancient, heavily-scarred krogan and an older-looking human with a disparate skin graft around a glazed-over eye. As he entered, four pairs of eyes turned their gaze on him.

“You’re back.” It was the first time Garrus had heard such a serious note in Nihlus’ tone. His brow plates shifted. “Where’s Shepard and Dr. T’soni?”

“We ran into some resistance,” Garrus explained. “Shepard’s okay, but she suffered an injury; she’s having the ship medic look at her now. Dr. T’soni’s with her.”

Nihlus turned to the two newcomers, “You’ll excuse me.” He swept past, placing his hands on Garrus’ shoulder as he pushed by. Garrus was surprised at how his skin jumped at the unexpected touch, but shook the thought away for the time being.

“Another bird, eh? Place is swarming with them it seems.” The human fixed Garrus with a hard stare.

“Them and asari. Notice you don’t see any krogan on this ship,” the krogan huffed. 

“This is Wrex and Zaeed,” Tali explained, pointing to the Krogan and the Human respectively. “The mercs Nihlus was looking for. They’ll be joining us on the hunt for Saren.”

“Garrus Vakarian.” He offered his hand, but the two mercs simply stared at him, completely still. He opted to try conversation instead. “You’re familiar with Saren?”

Wrex chuckled: a low, rumble. “You could say that.”

“Absolute twat,” Zaeed shook his head.

The four of them stood in silence, Garrus feeling more awkward by the minute. He wasn’t great with small talk, and his race as well as his time in C-sec had unfairly biased him against krogan; he wasn’t sure how well he trusted the presence of such an aged, grizzled krogan like Wrex onboard the ship, but he also realized he didn’t have any say in the matter.

“Right, well…” Tali brushed imaginary lint from her enviro-suit, “I’m going to head down to engineering. Chief Rolan said he’d show me the drive-core schematics.”

Garrus tried silently pleading with his eyes to make Tali stay, so as not leave him alone with these two strangers he didn’t particularly trust, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care, brushing past him for the elevator. A few more moments of awkward silence passed before Garrus decided anything was better than sitting in stony silence with the mercs, so he excused himself - with no word or notice from the mercs themselves - and made his way to the forward battery toward the bow.

Since Shepard and Nihlus had given them a tour of the ship, he’d been itching to get his hands on the programming for the forward cannons. Garrus had always had a special interest in tech, but it had rarely been more than a hobby. Still, during his time in the military he’d upped ship systems’ efficiencies by twelve percent on his longest post; he had a feeling he could calibrate the power output and improve the efficiency of the Callisto’s guns if given enough time.

Upon entering the forward battery, it was clear to Garrus that the area hadn’t been used in some time; a thin layer of dust coated the consoles and gun components. Likely, they rarely encountered situations that called for use of the guns, and when they did there was undoubtedly a remote control system from the cockpit. There was no doubting the area could use Garrus’ touch, so he set about wiping down some of the screens and powering up the software.

The consoles were slow, so Garrus took them apart to clear out the dust, reassembled them, and ran debugging software, which seemed to improve the speed somewhat. Once the programming was up and running, Garrus quickly lost himself in the tech. He could have spent hours happily calibrating without another soul for company, and in fact he  _ had _ done as much in his previous postings. There was no saying how much time passed absorbed in the glow of the console screen before someone else entered the battery and pulled him from his reverie.

“Keeping yourself busy, I see.” Nihlus leaned against a heat guard directly in front of the heat sink on the main cannon. 

“I figured I could make myself useful,” Garrus shrugged, finally tearing his gaze away from the screen. “How is Shepard?”

“She’ll be okay. She’s certainly taken worse. She’s resting now, on orders from the doctor, not that she went down without a fight. Liara’s quite shaken up though. Korvus is letting her rest in the med bay; it might be too much for her to meet everyone just yet.”

“She saved Shepard’s life. I was reaching for my gun when she fired.”

Nihlus nodded. “She told me about it. Poor thing. Killing thugs isn’t exactly in a day’s work for an archaeologist.” He sidled a little closer. “I take it you met the mercs.”

“Briefly. They weren’t big talkers.”

“ _ Ha. _ They don’t like turians. I’m lucky I convinced them to come along; it required monetary compensation. But I’m sure they’ll warm up.” He grasped Garrus’ arm, squeezing lightly. “And how are you doing?”

Garrus felt a familiar warmth creeping up his neck at Nihlus’ touch. “I’m fine,” he said honestly. “I took the least of it.”

“Freckles said you were an enormous help.”

“Oh.” Garrus’ mandibles flared. “Really?”

“Yes. I’m glad you were with her.” Nihlus’ hand still held its light grip on Garrus’ arm. “In fact, I’m glad the Council forced you along with us, Garrus. Who knows how long this mission might take.” Another step closer. “I want you to be completely comfortable while you’re aboard our ship. Okay?”

Garrus stared at the movement of Nihlus’ mouth plates as he spoke, acutely aware of his grip tightening ever-so-slightly on his arm. He clearly hadn’t been misreading the earlier signs, but wasn’t this as much of a potential mess as fooling around with Shepard?

“Comfortable?” He muttered. “Yeah, er, yes. So far I have been.”

Nihlus let go of his arm and moved until only the thinnest space existed between them, filled with static and some other tangible note. Garrus’ heart pounded in his ears as he continued to stare at Nihlus’ lips.

“Is this...something you’d be interested in?”

“I, uh…” Garrus swallowed a lump in his throat. “It could make things…” His fuzzy brain was having difficulty coming up with a good reason to rebuke Nihlus. “Like I told Shepard…”

“Professional, right.” Nihlus traced a gentle talon across Garrus’ mandibles. “But the thing is, Shepard’s lived with me a long time, but she’s still human. Turian concepts of casual don’t alway work with humans, but you and I understand how this goes. Surely you fooled around with fellow officers in the military? It’s no different.”

“I guess not.” Garrus’ eyelids fluttered as Nihlus’ talon moved back and forth, back and forth across his mandible. 

“I won’t do anything if you don’t want me to.” He was now so close their mouths were almost touching.

Well, he had a point about turian societal standards toward sex, didn’t he? Part of the reason Garrus had drawn such a hard line with Shepard was because of the abborhent way she’d reacted to his remergence in her life and his presence as part of her team. The decision seemed to have worked in his favor then; Shepard had been considerably friendlier on their mission today. But Nihlus had been nothing but friendly, flirtatious, and accommodating since he arrived. Why shouldn’t he enjoy himself? Like Nihlus said, who knew how long he would be stuck on this ship?

Recognizing that he worried too much, and thought too long on things of no great impact, he made his decision. Closing the gap between himself and Nihlus, he gripped the back of Nihlus’ neck and raked his talons down the hard plating as their mouths came together, tongues quickly tangling. Nihlus kissed him with a voracity he hadn’t quite expected, his subvocals buzzing as Garrus’ talons moved yet again down his neck.

One kiss and it was easy to forget there had been any hesitation at all. Nihlus let him take the lead entirely, gripping his neck as Garrus backed him into the wall and moved his mouth to Nihlus’ neck. He licked a trail up one side and down the other, nipping lightly with his mouth plates, pleased with the deep purr it elicited.

Their mouths came together again and Garrus couldn’t control the rumble of his subvocals as they kissed. It was short-lived though, as Nihlus moved his mouth to Garrus’ neck, licking patterns around his scales, his hands moving slowly and steadily down his chest to the edge of his pants. Garrus wasn’t quite out of his sheath yet, but the feeling of Nihlus’ tongue on his neck was getting him closer.

Nihlus’ hands found their way into Garrus’ pants and suddenly he felt two warm fingers massaging the tender skin around his sheath, dipping along the slit to coax him out. The battle was lost almost immediately, Garrus’ erection sliding from his sheath and into Nihlus’ waiting hand, which gripped him just tightly enough to reel a moan from the depths of Garrus’ throat.

If this was a mistake, it certainly didn’t feel like one.

Nihlus’ hand stroked slowly up his cock, his thumb sliding purposefully over each ridge as he moved. It made Garrus’ legs shake, and he had to lean his arms against the wall on either side of Nihlus to steady himself. As Nihlus’ hand moved, increasing speed with each downstroke, he nipped and nibbled at Garrus’ mandible, purring in his ear. 

“Freckles told me you were big, glad to see she wasn’t exaggerating.”

All Garrus could manage in response was a stuttering moan. But now Shepard was in his thoughts. Drawing a line of professionalism didn’t change how badly he still wanted to fuck the life out of her. He wondered how mind blowing a night with  _ both _ of them might be, but he wasn’t entirely convinced he’d be able to handle it. 

Nihlus continued to pump his hand up and down the length of Garrus’ cock, short circuiting any further deep contemplation. Leaning against the wall with one arm, Garrus reached down to unzip Nihlus’ pants, but Nihlus only swatted him away.

“You’ll get your turn later,” he promised. 

Content to continue enjoying himself, Garrus buried his face against Nihlus’ neck and moaned, his subvocals vibrating so loudly he was sure someone would hear them outside. 

“If you like this, you should see what I can do with my tongue,” Nihlus purred, stroking the back of Garrus’ head with the hand that wasn’t occupied with his cock. 

It was all Garrus could do to gasp against Nihlus’ skin, his legs shaking as Nihlus drew him closer and closer to the edge. He gripped Nihlus’ side with the hand that wasn’t bracing him against the wall as another moan left his throat. 

“ _ Uhn. Nihlus. I…” _

It hit him in an explosion of light behind his eyes, his cock twitching as he found his release. He was barely aware of the heady, dual-toned moan that left his mouth as he spilled himself into Nihlus’ hand. For several seconds, he lay half-limp against Nihlus, his breath coming heavy while Nihlus’ hand remained wrapped around him. Then Nihlus gently pushed him away and pulled his hand free, coated in his seed. 

“That was a good start.” Nihlus flicked his mandibles into a grin. “I’ve got more in mind for next time.”

Garrus blinked languidly. “That was, uh…”

“I’m going to wash up and check on Freckles. Find me if you need me, Blue.” 

With a wink, Nihlus left him alone in the forward battery, slightly dazed and delirious with pleasure. What had just happened? It felt like whiplash. 

What exactly was Garrus getting himself into? He was both excited and terrified to find out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very happy to report that I've finished writing my piece for MEBB, which means I have some more time to devote to this again. Been planning the little scene with Garrus and Nihlus for a while now and I certainly have some more fun in the forward battery in mind. This fic is honestly largely an outlet for me to write turian smut but next chapter will be more plot heavy. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and for the comments, as always. More soon!


	11. Prophet

Shepard had spent the majority of the trip back to the Citadel doing everything in her power to avoid being alone with Garrus. They had done well together on the mission to extract Liara, but she thought it might be better for their working relationship if she removed any potential for either of them to cross the line.

It neither surprised nor offended her to learn that Nihlus had had a bit of fun with Garrus in the forward battery, though she did feel a prick of jealousy - not because she felt possessive over either turian - but because, truth be told, she thought too long on how much she would have enjoyed being caught between them. Her one mind-blowing night with Garrus had switched something in her mind. She’d never pursued another turian before, and now she couldn’t stop thinking about being ravished by both of them.

It was  _ entirely _ a bad idea.

So, she had taken her time on the trip back, resting far less than either Nihlus or Korvus would have preferred after the ordeal on Thessia, trying and failing to make friends with the mercs Nihlus had brought on (the human was easier to talk to than the krogan, but neither were exactly forthcoming with conversation), and getting to know Tali and Liara better.

Liara was shaken by what had happened on Thessia, and spent most of her time holed up in the bunk room with datapads, reading up on what little info they had on the Prothean device that had been recovered from Eden Prime. Shepard tried to comfort her, but mostly gave her the space she needed. 

The first order of business when they arrived on the Citadel was to take Liara to meet with the Council. They would brief her fully on the Prothean Device and give her the necessary clearance to access the device. So little was known about the Protheans - or what happened to them - that the galaxy as a whole took special care to preserve any and every artifact that was uncovered. Perhaps more pressing was discovering  _ why _ Saren had been so desperate to access the device. If all went according to plan, Liara would be able to shed some light on the situation, and possibly provide a clue as to where Saren was headed next.

Shepard didn’t take much stock or interest in the Protheans or their strange ancient devices. She could appreciate how their technology had shaped galactic space travel, and the importance of their impact, but history and ancient artifacts were better left to scientists. Her major concern at the moment was tracking down Saren and hopefully making him pay for what he had done on Eden Prime - forget that she was still seething with rage at the thought that he could have so easily snuffed out Nihlus’ life - she couldn’t bear to dwell on it.

“Ever been to the Citadel before, Liara?” Nihlus asked as they stood on the bridge, staring out the port side of the ship as the station came slowly into view.

“A few times.” Liara nodded. “My mother would bring me with her on business trips…” She trailed off, staring blankly out the window for a moment. She shook her head and continued, “I’ve also been for archaeological conferences. The Council owns most of the Prothean artifacts that have been unearthed over the centuries, so the Citadel is the best place to see them first-hand - outside of an active digsite of course.” She chuckled, and for a moment she seemed incredibly young; it was easy to forget she was decades older than Shepard.

“Riz, call in a shuttle to take us to the Citadel Tower, will you?” Nihlus turned to the pilot. 

“Want me to spit shine your shoes while I’m at it?” Riz rolled her eyes, but she complied with his request. 

As the Callisto drew closer to the docks in the wards, the elevator doors at the end of the bridge flew open and Garrus stepped out, decked out in full armor, weapons strapped to his back. Shepard caught his gaze and felt a moment of tension between them: a string pulled taut connecting them, which just as quickly snapped.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, doing her best to keep her tone from sounding accusatory.

“I invited him,” Nihlus explained. “I didn’t think we needed the whole motley crew out on this particular endeavor, but Garrus is with us to work the case against Saren, and the device may have evidence to lead us to him. I think he should come along, don’t you?”

Shepard shrugged, attempting to seem disinterested, though the most immediate thought playing through her mind was the memory of Garrus’ tongue between her legs.

“That’s fine.”

When the ship docked, a shuttle was waiting to take them to the Presidium and up to the Citadel Tower. One benefit of being a Spectre was the abundance of transit options available on the Citadel. Walking through the wards could be fun on their time off, but relying on public rapid transit shuttles to get from one end of the station to the other almost guaranteed a massive delay in travel - private shuttles cut down on wasted time.

Although Liara had been to the Citadel before, it seemed she had never been to the top of the Citadel Tower, if her wide eyes and swiveling head were any indication. Shepard wasn’t surprised - the top floor of the tower was restricted access, and few people - even those of high galactic standing - were ever fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to gain an audience with the Council.

In the Council chambers, they had to wait roughly ten minutes for the councilors to arrive and Shepard couldn’t help but feel the move was intentional, after all the times she and Nihlus had forced them to wait for no reason except that they couldn’t stand the councilors (and Sparatus in particular).

Tevos was the first to address them when they finally did show up, giving Shepard and Nihlus a brief glance before turning her attention to Liara.

“Dr. T’soni, we received Shepard’s report on your extraction from Thessia. We were sorry to hear you encountered trouble. Are you well?”

“I’m fine, thank you, Councilor.”

“We’ve authorized clearance for you to access the Citadel archives, where we’ve stored the device that Shepard and Kryik obtained on Eden Prime. You will forgive us in restricting your access solely to the room housing the artifact, but there is some hesitance amongst my colleagues regarding your mother’s role in the attack on Eden Prime.”

Liara bowed her head. “I understand. I haven’t been in contact with my mother in many years”

“All the same,” Sparatus interrupted. “We cannot simply take your word for it.”

Liara said nothing in response, though Shepard noticed the ridge of her brow wrinkling in the slightest display of frustration. It was an unnecessary addition on the Council’s part, to tell Liara her access was restricted - it was an effort to go out of their way to ensure she knew what thin ice she walked on before them. Everything was fucking political with them.

“Unless there’s something else,” Shepard said. “We should take Dr. T’soni to observe the artifact. We don’t know Saren’s movement patterns and time is money right now.”

“A curious turn of phrase that I’ve never quite understood,” Sparatus flicked his mandibles. “Never mind. We’ll send a shuttle to take you to the archives. It will meet you on floor fifteen.”

“Councilors,” Liara bowed her head again.

Neither Shepard nor Nihlus said anything, simply turned heel and left, Liara and Garrus following close behind. No one spoke until they reached the elevator, when Liara surprised them all with an outburst.

“Are they always so arrogant? Holding it over my head what my mother’s done! What purpose did that serve exactly?” Her face tinged purple.

“That’s just how they are,” Nihlus offered, patting her shoulder. “Don’t let it get to you.” He turned his attention to Shepard. “You and Garrus will take Liara to the archives. I have another lead to pursue in the wards. I don’t think anything will come of it, but Wrex said he knows a few people who are contacts for the Shadow Broker. I’m not about to empty our pockets on a lead, but if we can get some information, it might be useful. The Shadow Broker knows everything: he might have info on Saren’s movement.”

Shepard might have protested prior to the trip to Thessia, but now (and despite steadfastly avoiding him during the entire trip back) she found she was somewhat excited by the prospect of being virtually alone with Garrus. Their role would largely be to guard the doors while Liara did her work. Even if she and Garrus had drawn a line in the sand with their relationship, she found she  _ did _ want to get to know him better.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Nihlus cocked his head, his gaze flitting imperceptibly to Garrus.

“Okay,” Shepard repeated.

His mandibles flicked into a grin. When they reached the fifteenth floor - the transit loading and unloading zone - they found the Spectre-issued shuttle waiting for them in a private docking area. Nihlus pecked Shepard on the cheek and whispered,

“Have fun with Garrus.”

Then he turned and crossed the floor to hail his own shuttle down to the wards. Shepard was annoyed at how quickly the statement had made her cheeks flush, but she ignored it, guiding Liara and Garrus into the shuttle and letting it carry them to the pre-programmed coordinates.

“What exactly is the nature of this device you’re taking me to?” Liara asked.

“Hell if I know,” Shepard shrugged. “They dug it up on Eden Prime and Saren obliterated half of the port to try and get his hands on it.” 

The truth was, Shepard had considered numerous possibilities for the device: perhaps it contained blueprints for the mass relays, or the Citadel, or something else monumentally important that would change the course of galactic history. For all of recorded history, galactic civilizations had simply made use of the existing mass relays left behind by the Protheans - it would be something else entirely to be able to create new ones. Or maybe it was nothing but a boring recount of some important Prothean historical event and it wouldn’t teach them anything - maybe Saren hadn’t known what it contained either.

“It’s broken. Well, I think it’s broken. We don’t really know what it does, but it looked like part of it had been cleaved off. Maybe that’s how it looked when they dug it up,” Shepard explained. “Hopefully you’ll be able to make some sense of it.”

The trip down to the archives took hardly any time at all, then they had to pass through a series of security checks and decontamination chambers before they were guided by mechs into the large circular chamber housing the device.

The device sat in the center of the chamber, illuminated by a circle of lights, which were the only source of light in the room. The chamber reached so high that Shepard couldn’t make out the ceiling in the dim lighting. So massive was the room in which they stood that it dwarfed the quite large Prothean device.

Liara approached the stone object with a mixture of curiosity and healthy respect - it was obvious in the glow of her cheeks and the dilation of her pupils just how in awe of the Protheans and their culture she was.

“May I...touch it?” She asked, craning her head toward Shepard, but unwilling to tear her gaze away from the device.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

She placed her hands on the ridged stone, across the dead interface: soft, fleeting touches as she circled the object once, twice, three times. Then she sat down and pulled forth a small archaeological kit from her back, where it had been hooked next to the pistol Shepard forced her to carry. She examined her tools and began to speak into her omni-tool.

While Liara worked, Shepard moved slowly toward the doorway, leaning against the large frame and observing Garrus as he followed her.

“So I heard you had a little fun with Nihlus,” Shepard immediately addressed the subject Garrus was likely doing mental somersaults to avoid.

His mandibles pinched against his face sheepishly. “It was...unexpected.”

“Nihlus is good at making you feel wanted, yeah?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “He likes you.” As if his little handjob in the forward battery hand not made that obvious. 

“I told him and I’ll tell you, I don’t...er...I don’t want to step on any toes or-”

“Relax, Blue,” Shepard laughed. “Nihlus would never do something like that without talking to me about it first anyway.”

“Listen, Shepard. About our agreement. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite now that Nihlus and I have...that is to say…” He wrung his hands uncertainly. “You both make me profoundly nervous.”

Shepard was taken aback. “Garrus, if we make you uncomfortable, I’ll tell Nihlus to back off...or you don’t have to stay on board. I don’t want you to feel like-”

“No.” He took a step closer to her. “Not uncomfortable. Never uncomfortable. I...I don’t know how to navigate this situation.” He took another step closer. “I’m only twenty-four. I’ve barely seriously dated and...well I mean, I have sexual experience, but nothing crazy, nothing...never like this, with a bonded pair. I’m not uncomfortable. The truth is, I’m extremely attracted to both of you. But you make me nervous. I feel...I feel like I’m on uneven ground navigating the two of you.”

“Well, you’re just navigating Nihlus, aren’t you?” Shepard ignored the implications of his statement. “After all, you and I agreed to keep it professional, didn’t we?”

He took another step toward her. “Yes.” His gaze drifting across her body didn’t escape her notice. “That was before Nihlus jerked me off in the forward battery. Before you and I were on amicable terms. I think,” another step closer, “maybe the dynamic has changed.”

He moved closer, one step at a time, until there was barely a hair’s breadth between them. Shepard’s heart began to pound, first in her chest, but rapidly moving downward as his fingers ghosted across her hip. She hazarded a glance into the chamber, where Liara was tapping frantically on her omni-tool, her back turned to the two of them.

There was no denying the immediate burning heat between Shepard and Garrus. As vividly as though she were watching it on a vid screen, she recalled their night together: the tenacity of his grip, the warmth of his breath against her neck - and suddenly she felt it in that moment, his talons scraping against her armor as he gripped her hip, burying his face against her neck.

“Shepard…” He breathed into her skin.

“Garrus...” 

Almost of their own accord, her hands gripped at the front of his armor, sliding along his chest to the clasps that would so quickly come undone with the flick of her fingers. His nose brushed her neck as his tongue darted out to taste her, his lips nipping insistently at her skin.

“Not here...we should…” Her head swam. What was her argument again? That Liara would see them, would hear them? That the Citadel archives were teeming with security drones? It didn’t seem to matter with his breath hot against her throat.

Suddenly, Liara let out startled gasp. Almost immediately, Shepard pushed Garrus away from her, and he moved away just as readily, both of them turning their gaze to the device expecting to see a scandalized Liara staring at them.

Instead, what they found was a field of green energy surrounding the device, pulling Liara toward it as she struggled in vain to fight its pull; her biotics firing were no match against the strength of the artifact’s energy field. Shepard rushed forward without thinking. She had no clue what this energy field was, what it could do or what it was currently doing to Liara, all she knew was that she felt personally responsible for the asari professor - who seemed so young despite her many years - and she wouldn’t allow harm to come to her now after all the trouble they had gone through to save her on Thessia.

Barrelling forward, she leapt up into the field, grabbing Liara around the waist and tossing her away with all the strength she could muster. Fortunately, Garrus had been hot on her heels, and caught Liara as she landed just outside the field of energy surrounding the Prothean device. Unfortunately, Shepard was now caught up in the field, unable to move or escape its powerful pull.

She felt as though she were being compressed from every angle, as though a hand had circled around her body and was squeezing tighter and tighter until she was sure her insides would burst out of her. Then all at once, her brain was alight with electricity, with fire, with pain as a million images flashed before her eyes in rapid succession: Saren’s ship on Eden Prime, but hundreds, no thousands, of them descending upon planet after planet after planet as shapeless forms tried in vain to fight back. No, they were aliens, humanoid creatures with two sets of eyes and flattened heads. Too many memories flooded her brain, memories she couldn’t understand that didn’t belong to her, overloading her senses, burning into her eyelids. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she thought she heard Garrus’ voice:

“Shepard! Shepard can you hear me!?”

As suddenly as it started, it stopped, the images fled from view. The powerful grip holding her aloft vanished and she was deaf, blind, and plummeting. She hit the ground without sensation.

And then all was black and still and silent. 

And her mind slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in updates. Updates will probably be sporadic as I work on some other WIPs and just with summer coming I won't be focusing as much time on writing, but I promise I'll continue to keep updating this! Thanks to all those who have been reading! I appreciate you all so much!


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